Pentagon Spox: Trump Admin Has ‘Obligation’ To Hold Accountable Officials Involved In Afghanistan Withdrawal

The Trump administration has an “obligation” to hold accountable the leadership involved in the botched Afghanistan withdrawal, Department of Defense (DOD) spokesman Sean Parnell told the Daily Caller during a press briefing Monday.

Parnell responded to a question from the Caller about whether the DOD would commit to firing or disciplining any remaining leadership directly involved in the Afghanistan withdrawal.

“We’re in the process of figuring out what that investigation will look like,” Parnell stated. (RELATED: ‘Personal Manhunt’: Trump Officials Detail How Administration Prioritized Abbey Gate Terrorist’s Capture)

🚨 First Defense Dept. Press Briefing 🚨

Daily Caller Reporter @evannatta1776: “Will the Dept. of Defense commit to firing…any remaining leadership that were directly involved in the Afghanistan withdrawal?”

SEC. PARNELL: “We have an obligation to the American people…to… pic.twitter.com/xWHlxtgs3X

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 17, 2025

He expounded on his experience serving in Afghanistan and detailed how former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal “horrified” him.

“I was horrified, in a lot of ways,” he said. “You think about how much time, and blood and treasure and American life that was lost in Afghanistan over 20 years, you think about that for a second — I’m 43 years old, and this country was at war in Afghanistan for 20 years.” (RELATED: ‘It’s Bullsh*t’: Marine At Center Of New Afghanistan Probe Accuses Pentagon Of Covering Up Evidence)

“Almost half of my life, this country was at war in Afghanistan,” he emphasized, adding how he witnessed the war firsthand.

“We bled the ground red in Afghanistan,” he said. “I watched my men do extraordinary things in support of a grateful nation and in support of a mission there, and to watch Afghanistan be surrendered in the way that it was, [it] was extremely difficult.”

When asked about the Afghanistan withdrawal this response from @SeanParnellATSD is everything!

ACCOUNTABILITY IS COMING! pic.twitter.com/tcNjgRyB3N

— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) March 17, 2025

The Abbey Gate bombing during the withdrawal killed 13 Americans and 170 Afghanistan civilians. The Trump administration, working with Pakistan’s Intelligence Service, captured the suspected planner of the bombing in March.

“Will those people be held accountable?” Parnell continued. “I think we have an obligation both to the American people and to the warfighters who fought in Afghanistan to hold the leadership accountable in some way.” (RELATED: ‘White Rage’: General Mark Milley Leaves Behind A Checkered Legacy)

“Now, we don’t know what that looks like right now to hold the leadership of the Afghanistan withdrawal accountable,” he said. “If you have a private that loses a sensitive item, that loses night-vision goggles, and loses a weapon, you can bet that private’s going to be held accountable. The same and equal standards must apply to senior military leaders.”

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCOS) Gen. Mark Milley was involved in planning the withdrawal, and his security clearance was revoked by Trump in January.