A senior investigator for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs has resigned in protest over the committee's failure to adequately investigate the disastrous US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Jerry Dunleavy criticised the committee for not sufficiently addressing the deaths of 13 US soldiers in Kabul.
The ISIS suicide attack on the Abbey Gate of Kabul Airport on August 26, 2021, resulted in the deaths of at least 182 people, including 169 Afghan civilians and 13 US soldiers.
The attack occurred while US forces were in the process of withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Dunleavy criticised Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, for failing to hold the Biden administration accountable for the attack despite a Republican majority in the Congress and the discovery of evidence.
Dunleavy believes that the Biden administration is responsible for the "horrific" events related to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and their "dangerous global fallout”.
In his resignation letter, Dunleavy accused McCaul and his team of failing to fulfil their duty to investigate the Biden administration's failures, particularly regarding the Abbey Gate explosion.
In explaining his resignation on X social media platform, Dunleavy stated that McCaul and the House Foreign Affairs Committee failed to meet their promises to the families of the soldiers killed at Kabul Airport, known as the "Gold Star” families.
Dunleavy, who has been involved in the investigation, said he could no longer be part of the process due to his conscience, which would not allow him to remain silent.
He also criticised the lack of serious questioning of witnesses, including Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation. Dunleavy believes Khalilzad was not honest in his explanations regarding the Taliban.
Dunleavy added that mishandling Khalilzad in the investigation of the US withdrawal has sent a misleading message to other involved parties. According to Dunleavy, Khalilzad was clearly unsuccessful in his dealings with the Taliban.
Although Dunleavy is not a member of Congress, he was the senior investigator for the House Foreign Affairs Committee regarding the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and has authored a book on the subject.
