In a rare testimony before lawmakers, two retired generals who oversaw the evacuation of Afghanistan, Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Frank McKenzie, publicly held the Biden administration responsible for the chaos that ensued during the country's fall to the Taliban in August 2021. They criticized the administration for inadequate planning and delayed evacuation orders.

During their testimonies, the retired generals highlighted key differences they had with the Biden administration in the final days of the war. They revealed that the military had advised keeping at least 2,500 service members in Afghanistan to maintain stability, but their recommendation was not heeded. Additionally, they expressed concerns about the State Department's sluggishness in initiating the evacuation process.

Contradicting an internal White House review, which earlier blamed previous withdrawal agreements negotiated by former President Trump and the military for the chaotic withdrawal, the retired generals emphasized that President Biden's decisions had been constrained by the administration's own lack of effective planning. The top commanders testified that they had sufficient resources to handle the evacuation.

Tragically, thirteen U.S. service members lost their lives during the final days of the war when a suicide bomber targeted the Abbey Gate of Kabul airport. Panicked Afghans and U.S. citizens desperately tried to board U.S. military flights as the Taliban rapidly took control of Afghanistan. Ultimately, the military successfully evacuated over 130,000 civilians before the final U.S. military aircraft departed.

Both Gen. Milley and Gen. McKenzie squarely placed the blame on the State Department for the late call to evacuate U.S. personnel, stating that the "fatal flaw" was the timing of the department's decision. While evacuation orders must come from the State Department, the Pentagon had been urging them for months to develop the evacuation plans and expressed concerns about their readiness.

Gen. McKenzie further asserted that the events of August 2021, culminating in the Taliban's takeover, were a direct result of the delayed initiation of the evacuation, which occurred when the country was already in a dire state. He argued that the delay contributed to the rapid fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban.

During the withdrawal planning, Gen. Milley, then the nation's top-ranking military officer, advised President Biden to maintain a residual force of 2,500 troops in order to support Afghanistan's special forces and defend against Taliban attacks. However, President Biden chose a smaller force of 650 solely for securing the U.S. embassy, which proved insufficient in protecting strategic locations like Bagram Air Base, leading to its swift capture by the Taliban.

Since the U.S. departure, the Taliban has remained in control of Afghanistan, resulting in significant changes for the population, including the near-total loss of rights for women and girls. The chaotic withdrawal has raised questions about the decision-making process and planning within the Biden administration.

The White House previously acknowledged the chaotic situation during the withdrawal but attributed it to the constraints imposed by previous withdrawal agreements made by President Trump.