Blinken acknowledges Afghan shortcomings - Politico

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has acknowledged failures in the Afghanistan pull-out, while refusing to release an internal review on the debacle to avoid exposing “vulnerabilities and deficiencies.” The remarks were part of a closed-door meeting between Blinken and his staff, which was partially conducted online. The report found that the US diplomatic service failed to prepare for the worst-case scenario of a withdrawal amid a collapse of the US-backed government in Kabul. The State Department’s contingency planning was apparently “inhibited” by optics considerations. Other findings related to organizational problems, unclear priorities, and a failure to properly track US citizens in Afghanistan. Blinken declined to make public his department’s assessment of the botched withdrawal, citing a reluctance to expose “the vulnerabilities and deficiencies that we have” while they are being addressed.