FOIA Bombshell: Biden-Harris Administration Knew Taliban Would Kill Afghan Allies, Abandoned Them Anyway

A little more than three years ago, in August 2021, the Biden Administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan cost 13 American troops their lives. It was the deadliest day for Americans in decades.

Following the withdrawal, at least 600 Americans were abandoned for months behind enemy lines. Yet the Biden-Harris Administration publicly stated it did not know how many Americans were left behind and admitted there were no plans to help Americans get out of Afghanistan. In addition to the American citizens abandoned by the Biden-Harris Administration, Afghan citizens who had helped the U.S. government – estimated in the tens of thousands – were left behind to deal with a vengeful Taliban. The United States government had promised protection to these Afghans in exchange for their help but left them for dead either out of malice or incompetence. Furthermore, billions of dollars of advanced U.S. military equipment were also captured and still remain in the hands of the Taliban terrorists. As a result of the botched withdrawal, the U.S. and the world are objectively less safe, and the U.S. hurt its world standing by abandoning both American citizens and our Afghan allies.

Despite the Biden Administration’s failures and incompetence, not one official has been held accountable for the Afghanistan catastrophe or for leaving American citizens in harm’s way. The troops who died defending our country and the marooned American citizens deserve better than to be ignored by the mainstream media simply to cover up the incompetence or malice of the Biden-Harris Administration. The ACLJ stands in strong support of our men and women in the military. We remain unwavering in our commitment to hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable for its continuous failures, including the deserting of American troops, citizens, and our Afghan allies. Citizens’ confidence in our leadership and the military depends on it.

To hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable for its military failure in Afghanistan, we filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Specifically, we sought documents and emails related to the failed Afghanistan withdrawal to shed light on withdrawal plans and attempts to conceal the Afghanistan disaster. When the Biden-Harris Administration refused to produce relevant documents, the ACLJ sued to ensure we could see them. The most recent production of 68 pages was largely redacted. However, it is worth noting that – included in this tranche – was a threatening summons letter issued by the Taliban to specific Afghan allies who had assisted the U.S. military. A copy written in Arabic was translated as the following (we have redacted the names for the safety of the families):

This is a summon from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan for _________, ______________, and ________________. Based on the accurate information of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, you all had worked very closely with the occupying forces of the United States – the American anti-Islamic forces in _____ province in recent years. Therefore, you are ordered to submit yourself to the nearest field office of the Islamic Emirate where you will be served to face justice within the legal framework of the Islamic Emirate. Your failure to surrender yourself will have serious consequences both to you and your family as all of you including your families will be severely prosecuted and punished under the Islamic law of the Emirate.

Regards
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

The summons above illustrates the retribution inevitably faced by the Afghan allies we deserted. These individuals, like so many of our other Afghan allies, were essential in helping the United States during its time in Afghanistan. No doubt numerous families were sent similarly threatening letters and required to turn themselves in to “face justice within the legal framework of the Islamic Emirate.” Make no mistake, this would mean subjecting themselves to Sharia Law. Remember that there is no innocence until proven guilty and not necessarily even a right to due process or a trial. It appears that the mind of the Taliban was already made up, and under Sharia Law, the penalty is often death.

A 2022 report by a nonprofit organization supporting Afghan interpreters notes that 242 reports of reprisal killings for aiding the United States were confirmed – a number that is noted as an undercount because these were the ones the organization could find, and it is not fully representative of all the killings that inevitably occurred. Note also that a refusal of these individuals to surrender themselves to death meant that consequences would also be felt by their families. This could mean the ending of multiple generations of families solely for their willingness to cooperate with U.S. troops. All this punishment is due to the United States promising to protect our allies and then abandoning them when it was most convenient. It is inexcusable that our own government officials and our media have proven so willing to obfuscate the abject failures of the Biden-Harris Administration in Afghanistan – despite knowing the many resulting disastrous outcomes.

The most shocking part of this summons is that it is dated just 6 days after the final U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Taliban was already issuing legal threats to our allies while the jet trail of our military aircraft still lingered over Afghanistan. The fact that the State Department has this summons means that they knew, and we know they did nothing.

As Americans, we deserve a government that delivers on its promises. Our Founding Fathers wrote that men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” and “whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the people to alter or abolish it. . . .” In short, the government’s failure to deliver on the rights promised to all drives America to a dangerous place. Like in so many other instances, the Biden-Harris Administration in Afghanistan has proven itself willing to break all promises to advance its own political goals at the expense of American citizens and their allies. Rest assured that the ACLJ will continue to hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable for its abandonment of Americans and American allies in Afghanistan, as well as its negligent empowerment of the Taliban.