PNN – The U.S. Department of Defense has announced the discovery of classified and concealed documents regarding the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the deadly Abbey Gate attack in Kabul, the Pentagon revealed that the special panel reviewing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan had uncovered classified documents that had been deliberately withheld from previous investigations.
Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson and head of the special review panel, stated that the investigative team found documents highly relevant to the inquiry. These documents should have been made available to investigators but had been kept in safes to prevent access.
Parnell did not elaborate on the specific contents of the documents but stated that their review revealed why an individual or individuals had attempted to keep these records out of the reach of investigators. Consequently, the investigative team will follow the evidence wherever it leads and pursue anyone connected to it.
The head of the special panel reviewing the U.S. withdrawal stated that the investigation aims to provide a comprehensive account of the decisions that led to the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. The American people and the families of service members who lost their lives during this process have a right to know how and why these decisions were made.
These remarks come as U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered Parnell in May 2025 to form a special panel to review the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and re-examine previous investigations into the Abbey Gate attack.
The Abbey Gate attack on August 26, 2021, was carried out by an ISIS-K suicide bomber during the evacuation of U.S. forces and Afghan citizens from Kabul Airport. Thirteen U.S. service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians were killed in the attack.
This attack was one of the deadliest incidents of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan; since then, the assessment of threats, decision-making processes, and management of the evacuation operation have faced widespread criticism and scrutiny.
The U.S. withdrawal in August 2021 took place after nearly two decades of military presence in Afghanistan, coinciding with the collapse of the previous government and the Taliban’s return to Kabul. The evacuation operation during the final days of the U.S. presence was conducted amidst chaotic conditions, as thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals flocked to Kabul airport to leave the country.