WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation’s James Carafano released the following statement Monday calling for an independent investigation into the Biden administration’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan:

“As we prepare to mark 20 years since the devastating, world-changing events of Sept. 11, 2001, our country has been reminded that despite many American victories on the battlefield, the forces of evil remain strong and at large in our world. As we have seen in the tragic events in Afghanistan in recent days, Islamist terrorism remains a threat to which we must not turn a blind eye, even as we confront other pressing national security challenges, including a historic border crisis, an increasingly adversarial Chinese Communist Party, and the politicization of federal agencies like the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.

 

“Successfully fighting the threat from Islamist terrorism requires leadership that understands and acknowledges the threat, and then takes unequivocal actions that protect U.S. interests. Sadly, the Biden administration has failed to do any of these in its handling of Afghanistan. The failures are myriad, the leadership absent, and the consequences deadly.

 

“The American people deserve answers. To get them, Congress should immediately authorize and empower an independent commission to investigate the Biden administration’s withdrawal strategy, and the decisions that have been made in recent days once the crisis was apparent. Similar to the 9/11 Commission, this investigation should be thorough, leaving no agency, no office, and no individual involved untouched. None of the tragedies we’ve witnessed needed to happen. It is incumbent on our leaders to find out why they did. From the president of the United States all the way down the chain, no one should be spared from accountability.

 

“The sad reality is that the Biden administration’s foolish, politically motivated choices have made another 9/11 more likely. Fortunately, history is not yet written, and by understanding their recent mistakes and taking steps to ensure accountability for them, we can emerge from this tragic situation stronger together as a nation. It is time for bipartisan action to do just that.”