DoD IG Report Confirms Flaws in U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy in Wake of Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal

WASHINGTON, DC. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement after Defense Department Inspector General released its quarterly report on Afghanistan and U.S. counterterrorism operations.

“The IG report reaffirms many of the concerns I’ve been raising for months. ISIS-K is reconstituting its capabilities in Afghanistan, yet the Biden administration often downplays the obvious flaws in its ‘over-the-horizon’ counterterrorism strategy. This includes our lack of reliable partners on the ground, lack of intelligence and strike assets close to the battlefield, and lack of assured access to airspace.

 “This report should serve as a wakeup call to the administration. We must adequately address the shortcomings of the current U.S. approach to counterterrorism in Afghanistan,” said Sen. Fischer.

Among its findings, the IG report notes:

• ISIS-K remains a “top terrorist threat in Afghanistan”
• Current challenges have “significantly reduced the DoD’s capacity to track terrorist targets in Afghanistan.”
• U.S. Central Command confirmed that “the U.S. military has not conducted any airstrikes in Afghanistan” since the botched August withdrawal.

The report specifically references answers resulting from Sen. Fischer’s questioning of General Michael E. Kurilla in February and General Kenneth McKenzie in March at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings when explaining these conclusions.

Background

Sen. Fischer has repeatedly raised concerns about the impact of the administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the challenges the U.S. now faces when conducting over-the-horizon operations in the country.

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