Donald Trump is compiling a list of senior military officers who could face being court-martialed for the disastrous 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, reports say.
His transition team is said to be exploring charges as severe as treason, although the legal reasoning remains unclear as they were acting under Biden’s orders.
‘They’re taking it very seriously,’ a source said to NBC News, stressing the gravity of the discussions.
President-elect Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, condemning it as a ‘humiliation’ and ‘the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.’
The chaotic exit in August 2021, marked by the Taliban’s rapid takeover, the deadly bombing at Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate, and a botched U.S. airstrike, left 13 U.S. service members dead alongside more than 170 Afghan civilians dead.
As U.S. forces were trying to help Americans and Afghans flee as the Islamist Taliban movement took control of the country, a suicide attack at the entrance to the airport killed the group of Americans, compounding the U.S. sense of defeat after two decades of war.
The transition team is reportedly considering the formation of a commission to examine the withdrawal in detail, scrutinizing decision-making processes