State Dept. Internal Watchdog Launches Investigation Into Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal

The State Department’s inspector general informed Congress on Monday that the office is opening a series of probes into the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a letter obtained by NBC News.

Diana Shaw, the department’s acting inspector general, notified the heads of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as the House and Senate Intelligence committees that her office will open "several oversight projects" related to ending diplomatic operations in Afghanistan.

“Given the elevated interest in this work by Congress and the unique circumstances requiring coordination across the Inspector General community, I wanted to notify our committees of jurisdiction of this important work,” Shaw said in the letter.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared before a Senate committee on Tuesday to testify about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan