House probe into Afghanistan pullout to extend beyond election

House Republicans will extend a two-year investigation into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan beyond a report to be released on Monday and until “well after the election” in November, according to a lawmaker leading the probe.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said many questions remain as the panel looks into what happened on the ground during the exit in 2021, including the lack of protection for U.S. troops and limited video evidence.

“We have a lot of unanswered questions regarding the DoD,” he said Sunday on CBS’ "Face the Nation," referring to the Department of Defense.

A suicide bombing at an entrance to the airport in Kabul killed 13 US service members and about 170 Afghan civilians during the withdrawal. Republicans, including presidential nominee Donald Trump, are seeking to tie Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s election opponent, to the carnage and the chaotic pullout that happened under President Joe Biden’s administration.

McCaul plans to release the investigation’s findings on Monday — the eve of the first Trump-Harris presidential debate. On the campaign trail, Trump has said he would demand the resignation of any officials involved with Afghanistan withdrawal decisions if he’s elected. McCaul last week subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to testify before the panel.

The report will be “an indictment on the administration’s reckless refusal to properly prepare for the withdrawal” and “its culpability” in the deaths of the U.S. troops, McCaul said on Aug. 30. The findings will accuse the Biden administration of misleading the public about the withdrawal, CBS News reported Sunday.

ISIS-K, a terror group active mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2015, claimed responsibility for the attack on Aug. 26, 2021. Harrowing images of Afghan civilians swarming runways and climbing onto planes emerged as thousands tried to evacuate the country.

_____