WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2020) US Secretaries of State and Defense Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper have refused to attend the congressional hearing on the United States' strategy on Afghanistan scheduled for January 28, the House of Representatives Oversight Committee said.
"Despite a bipartisan request for a briefing, which Administration officials never scheduled, and a subsequent invitation to testify before the Subcommittee nearly four weeks ago, the Department of State and the Department of Defense have refused to appear at Tuesday's hearing," the Oversight Committee said on Monday afternoon.
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko is the only witness who has been scheduled to testify.
"This is the latest example of the Trump administration's obstruction of Congress and lack of transparency with the American people about critical national security matters," the Oversight Committee said.
The Oversight Committee lawmakers noted that about 2,400 US service members have been killed and more than 20,000 have been wounded during the United States' 18-year occupation of Afghanistan.
However, the lawmakers said they opposed the large scale withdrawal of US troops, pointing out that this step would undermine security and fighting against terrorism.
On January 15, Sopko said during a testimony to the US House Foreign Affairs Committee that the United States undermined its own goals by supporting warlords and fostering corruption in Afghanistan.
Since 2002, the United States has spent more than $110 billion on Afghan reconstruction projects, a high percentage of which was wasted on corruption, waste and abuse, according to SIGAR audits.
