Operation Freedoms Sentinel: Lead Inspector General Report to the United States Congress
Abstract
I am pleased to present this Lead Inspector General (Lead IG) report on Operation Freedoms Sentinel (OFS). This quarter, the DoD implemented a November 2020 directive from then-President Trump to reduce the number of OFS forces in Afghanistan to 2,500 by January 15, 2021. The troop drawdown is in line with the agreement between the United States and the Taliban, which states that all nondiplomatic U.S. personnelmilitary, civilian, and contractorswill leave Afghanistan by May 2021,provided that the Taliban meets its obligations under the agreement. As of the time of publication, it was unclear to what extent the Taliban was meeting its commitments, primarily its obligation to ensure that Afghanistan is not used as a base for terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda, to threaten the United States and its allies. While the Taliban opposes and actively fights ISIS members in Afghanistan, the Taliban continues to maintain relations with al-Qaeda. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)reported this quarter that al-Qaeda members were integrated into Taliban forces and command structures. After the quarter ended, the Biden Administration stated that it is reviewing whether the Taliban is meeting its commitments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1147959
Entities
People
- Diana Shaw
- Sean W. O'donnell
- Thomas J. Ullom
Organizations
- Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense