Trump may set tribunal for those behind US withdrawal from Afghanistan, NBC reports
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The team of future US President Donald Trump may be preparing a tribunal for those involved in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Trump’s team is compiling lists of officers, NBC News reports.
Sources indicate that Trump’s transition team is compiling a list of high-ranking current and former US officers who were involved in the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
The team is exploring the possibility of establishing a commission to investigate the 2021 troop withdrawal. This includes gathering information on those directly involved in the decision-making process. There is also a consideration of whether those responsible could be held accountable for treason.
"They are taking this very seriously," a source told the publication.
According to sources, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats, Matt Flynn, is helping with the matter. However, Flynn's lawyer denies this and emphasizes that no one has approached the former official regarding this "hypothetical legal scenario."
An American official stated that the transition team is considering recalling several commanders for potential charges.
It is unclear whether it would be legally possible to file charges of "treason" since the military was carrying out orders from President Joe Biden.
US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
Donald Trump, while president, reached an agreement with the Taliban on the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The withdrawal was effectively completed by the Biden administration.
A 2022 independent review conducted by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction accused both the Trump and Biden administrations of mishandling the troop withdrawal.
Trump called the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan "the most disgraceful day in American history." Potential future Pentagon head, Pete Hegseth, also criticized the withdrawal.
