Weeping US Marine describes Afghan 'catastrophe' before Congress

A erstwhile US Marine severely injured successful Afghanistan has described the withdrawal successful 2021 arsenic a "catastrophe" successful grounds earlier Congress.

Tyler Vargas-Andrews spoke successful the archetypal of a bid of Republican-led hearings examining the Biden administration's handling of the withdrawal.

He elaborate a play of chaos and unpreparedness successful the days aft the Taliban captured Kabul.

Others spoke of enduring trauma and motivation wounded successful the aftermath.

Sgt Vargas-Andrews, 25, was 1 of respective US subject unit tasked with protecting Kabul's airdrome connected 26 August 2021, erstwhile 2 termination bombers attacked crowds of Afghans trying to fly the Taliban during the US evacuation.

Thirteen US soldiers died successful the bombing, on with 170 Afghan civilians.

Sgt Vargas-Andrews testified that helium and different marine had received quality astir the bombing earlier it occurred, and that helium had spotted the fishy successful the crowd.

He said helium had alerted his supervisors and requested support to enactment but had ne'er received it.

"Plain and simple, we were ignored," Sgt Vargas-Andrews said.

In affectional testimony, helium described being thrown successful the aerial during the bombing and opening his eyes to spot his comrades dormant oregon lying unconscious astir him.

"My assemblage was overwhelmed from the trauma of the blast. My abdomen had been ripped open. Every inch of my exposed assemblage took shot bearings and shrapnel," helium said.

Sgt Vargas-Andrews called the withdrawal a "catastrophe," adding: "There was an inexcusable deficiency of accountability and negligence."

"I spot the faces of each of those we could not save, those we near behind," helium said.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee enquiry into the evacuation from Afghanistan besides heard from different US soldiers and veterans who spoke of the intelligence wellness toll that the withdrawal has had connected them.

Retired Lt Col David Scott Mann, who worked to evacuate Afghans astatine the time, testified that the acquisition moving to get allies retired had been "gutting".

He added that calls to the Veteran Affairs hotline spiked 81% aft the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and helium warned that the US was connected the "front extremity of a intelligence wellness tsunami".

He said a person helium had served with had died by termination successful the aftermath.

"He conscionable couldn't find his mode retired of the acheronian of that motivation injury," Lt Col Mann said.

Testimony from the bulk of witnesses placed the blasted connected each statesmanlike medication since US troops were archetypal deployed to Afghanistan, from George W Bush to Joe Biden.

Witnesses besides urged for contiguous enactment to assistance Afghan allies who had worked with US soldiers who are present successful limbo some successful Afghanistan and successful the US.

"America is gathering a nasty estimation for multi-generational systemic abandonment of our allies wherever we permission a smouldering quality refuse, from the Montagnards of Vietnam to the Kurds successful Syria," Lt Col Mann said.

Republicans who had agelong pushed for an probe placed the blasted connected the Biden administration.

Panel president Mike McCaul, a House Republican from Texas, said the withdrawal had been a "systemic breakdown of the national authorities astatine each level, and a stunning nonaccomplishment of enactment by the Biden administration".

In response, Democrats spoke retired successful defence of President Biden.

House typical Gregory Meeks from New York said that Mr Biden had "made the close determination to bring each our troops home".

"I can't successful bully conscience ideate sending much American men and women to combat successful Afghanistan."

Mr Biden had antecedently said that helium bore "responsibility for fundamentally each that has happened" but helium besides blamed erstwhile President Donald Trump for overseeing the withdrawal woody with the Taliban.