US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCall said he had signed a subpoena to be handed over to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken regarding documents related to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
McCall, a Republican, gave the State Department until Monday to release the documents.
In a statement, he said, “Unfortunately, Secretary Blinken refused to submit the telegram and his response to the telegram, forcing me to issue the first subpoena in my capacity as head of this committee,” indicating that the subpoena would be delivered on Tuesday morning.
McCall launched an investigation into the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Joe Biden and events in the country since.
Republicans and some Democrats believe there is no full account of the chaotic operation that killed 13 US soldiers at the Kabul airport.
More than 20 US diplomats in Afghanistan sent a secret cable via one of the channels to warn Blinken in July 2021 of the possibility of Kabul falling into the hands of the Taliban after the withdrawal of US troops from the country, according to what the Wall Street Journal said in 2021. .
Blinken said during a meeting last week that the ministry has already released the information and is working to provide more, but some of the exact details can only be released to senior officials in order to protect the identity of those who have voiced their disagreement.
In response to a question asking for comment on the subpoena, the US State Department called for reference to statements made by its spokesman Vedant Patel during a press briefing on Monday.
“The ministry stands ready to provide relevant information in a telegram through evidence or other mechanisms,” Patel said.
Source: Reuters.
