State Department failed to plan or respond fast enough in Afghanistan collapse, new US report finds

By MATTHEW LEE and NOMAAN MERCHANT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A State Department report says the department failed to do enough contingency planning before the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan. The review repeatedly blames the administration of former President Donald Trump for not doing enough planning or processing of visas after beginning the withdrawal. It takes some responsibility for mistakes made during President Joe Biden’s tenure. The report notes State failed to create a broad task force even as the Taliban grew in strength in the summer of 2021 and that it struggled under the demands of a chaotic evacuation in a fast-collapsing Kabul.