McCaul: 3,000 Afghan Forces Fled to Iran, Including ‘Specially Trained’ Forces, and ‘We Have No Idea Where They Are Today’

On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Evening Edit,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) discussed a report by House Republicans on the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and stated that while the decision whether or not to withdraw can be debated, the exit was done so carelessly and was done “with complete disregard for the conditions on the ground.” McCaul also said that 3,000 Afghan soldiers, including people with special training, “fled into Iran because they couldn’t get out” of Afghanistan and we currently have no idea where they are today.

McCaul stated, [relevant remarks begin around 3:55] “[T]he troops we did have were penned in at the airport, sitting ducks getting shot at. And we turned the perimeter security over to the Taliban. I can’t — you can debate whether we should withdraw, but the way this was done was so reckless, with complete disregard for the conditions on the ground. And that’s really where I really fault this administration. By the way, they just outright lied to the American people about what was happening. And you had 3,000 of these Afghan commandos, special forces fled into Iran because they couldn’t get out, and they are specially trained and we have no idea where they are today.”

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