The chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee is “prepared to go forward” with issuing subpoenas to top Biden administration officials over the deadly Kabul airport bombing during Washington's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Republican representative Mike McCaul told Fox News on Sunday that Congress has been “denied access” to US President Joe Biden's top military leaders including Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Gen Mark Milley, in its continuing investigations into the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Mr McCaul centred his Sunday remarks on the blast at Abbey Gate outside Kabul airport, which killed at least 183 people including 11 US marines, a sailor and a soldier, as Afghans frantically tried to get on crowded flights leaving the country after the Taliban takeover. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
“We're prepared to go forward with subpoenas to get to the bottom because these Gold Star families that you just showed deserve the truth as to what happened to make sure this never happens again,” said Mr McCaul, referring to families of killed US service members.
“This story gets worse by the day and I will not rest until we get to the bottom of it."
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has increased its investigations of the Biden administration and its handling of the end of America's longest war.
Republicans have sought to characterise the Biden administration's actions as a “dereliction of duty”.
Mr Biden has blamed his predecessor, Donald Trump, for cutting a deal with the Taliban that all but ensured a hasty retreat under a compressed timetable.
Last month, Mr McCaul subpoenaed the State Department in a bid to obtain documents related to its Afghanistan withdrawal report, accusing President Joe Biden's administration of “obstruction”.
In a March hearing, Abbey Gate survivor Sgt Tyler Vargas-Andrews told the foreign affairs committee that he and his team had a chance to shoot the bomber – but were never given permission to do so.
“Plain and simple, we were ignored. Our expertise was disregarded. No one was held accountable for our safety,” Sgt Vargas-Andrews, who lost a leg, an arm, and a kidney in the blast, told the committee.
A Pentagon report last year concluded that the attack was “not preventable”, that security precautions were being taken and that intelligence about potential threats circulating that day was “not specific”.
Tomorrow 2021
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Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
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AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
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When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
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Stage 2 results
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 04:18:18
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:02
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:04
4 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates
5 Rick Zabel (GER) Israel Start-Up Nation
General Classification
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 07:47:19
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:12
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:16
4 Nikolai Cherkasov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:17
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25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
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*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
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