Washington: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a Pentagon review of the “chaotic” US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which has long been strongly criticized by Republican officials. A memo from Hegseth on Tuesday stated: “We need to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure accountability for this event and present the full picture to the American people.”

According to National Iraqi News Agency, a special review committee will undertake a comprehensive examination of previous investigations, including, but not limited to, the facts, sources, witnesses, and analysis of the decision-making process that led to one of the darkest and most disastrous international moments in US history.

During the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Afghan forces collapsed in the face of advancing Taliban fighters, forcing the remaining US forces in the country to evacuate Kabul Airport, removing more than 120,000 people from the country within days.

On August 26, 2021, a suicide bomber targeted crowds of people seeking to leave the country on departing flights near Kabul Airport, killing more than 170 people, including 13 US soldiers.