Afghanistan Accountability

In August 2021, the U.S. military withdrew its forces from Afghanistan after nearly two decades of conflict. While withdrawing, 13 U.S. service members were killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, during a terrorist attack, Aug. 26, 2021.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jan. 14, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke about a lack of accountability for what happened.
“There’s been no accountability for the disaster of the withdrawal in Afghanistan,” he told senators. “Leadership has been unwilling to take accountability. It’s the time to restore that to our most senior ranks.”
Just this week, Hegseth took steps to determine accountability, and Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell is part of that effort.
“I served in Afghanistan for 485 days,” Parnell said. “My platoon took an 85% casualty rate. This is personal to me. America, the truth is coming, and I look forward to leading this very important effort in delivering accountability to you — the American people who deserve it.”