JUST IN: Trump, Hegseth Announce New Investigation: ‘There Will Be Full Accountability’

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have announced a sweeping investigation into the Biden administration’s handling of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. During his first Cabinet meeting since returning to the White House, Trump signaled that military leaders involved in the withdrawal will face consequences, suggesting that mass firings could take place.

When asked whether his administration would remove top military officers who oversaw the operation, Trump did not hesitate.

“Well, that’s a great idea,” Trump said. “I’m not going to tell this man what to do, but I will say that if I had his place, I’d fire every single one of them.”

Hegseth, who was tapped by Trump to lead the Defense Department, confirmed that a full-scale review is already underway.

“We’re doing a complete review of every single aspect of what happened with the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan and plan to have full accountability,” Hegseth said. “It’s one of the first things we announced at the Defense Department for that reason.”

The investigation is expected to examine the failures leading up to and during the August 2021 withdrawal, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and left billions of dollars in military equipment in Taliban hands.

Trump and Hegseth made it clear that those responsible for the disastrous exit will not be rewarded. “I don’t see big promotions in that group,” Trump said. “I think they’re going to be largely gone.”

Hegseth emphasized that the approach under the Trump administration is vastly different from that of Biden’s team. “We’re taking a very different view, obviously, than the previous administration, and there will be full accountability,” he added.

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“We left billions, tens of billions of dollars worth of equipment behind, brand new trucks. You see them display it every year, on their little roadway, someplace where they have a road and they drive the, you know, waving the flag and talking about America … that’s all the top of the line stuff,” Trump said Wednesday. “I think we should get a lot of that equipment back.”

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, under former President Biden’s administration, marked a significant and controversial moment in U.S. foreign policy. The decision ended America’s longest war, spanning two decades.

The withdrawal was heavily criticized due to the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the resurgence of the Taliban, who took control of Kabul much faster than U.S. intelligence had anticipated. The administration’s planning and execution of the withdrawal were flawed, leading to chaos at Kabul’s airport as thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals scrambled to leave the country.

The situation also led to tragic scenes and a humanitarian crisis.

The announcement comes as Trump moves swiftly to implement his agenda, just weeks after taking office for his second term. His administration has vowed to hold those responsible for national security failures accountable, with the Afghanistan withdrawal being a top priority.