Key facts
- A Pentagon review panel has uncovered classified documents related to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- Panel chair Sean Parnell claims these documents were intentionally hidden.
- The review aims to examine decisions leading up to the U.S. exit from Kabul and determine blame for U.S. deaths.
- Parnell stated the documents provide a clearer picture of how and why withdrawal decisions were made.
- Democratic lawmakers have questioned the intentions and slant of Republican-led reviews.
The Pentagon has announced the discovery of classified documents related to the final days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, with the review panel's chair alleging they were deliberately hidden. Sean Parnell, chair of the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel, stated in a video message that the ongoing review has uncovered "highly relevant classified documents, material that should have been disclosed, stashed, and hidden away in safes where they would not be found."
Parnell claimed that these documents make it clear why someone attempted to conceal them and that troops who served in Afghanistan are "owed the full picture of how and why those decisions were made." He did not provide specific details on the content of the documents or a timeline for further information.
The review panel was established to examine the decisions leading up to the American exit from Kabul and to assign blame for U.S. deaths during the withdrawal. Parnell had previously announced plans to upgrade valor awards for troops who served at the airport in August 2021, asserting that the Biden administration had "inappropriately downgraded" earlier honors.