Hegseth Blocks Donahue’s Europe Nomination Over 13 Kabul Bombing Deaths

Q: What secrets were hidden in the recently discovered classified documents regarding the tragic 2021 Kabul airport withdrawal?

No verified details about the contents of the newly found classified documents have been made public. What is known is that Sean Parnell, who leads the Pentagon’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel, said investigators recovered “highly relevant” classified material that “should have been disclosed” and had been hidden in safes. He also said that, after reviewing the files, investigators believed there was a reason someone tried to conceal them. But neither Parnell nor the Pentagon has released the documents, identified who hid them, or explained exactly what they contain. Based on public reporting, the documents appear to relate to decision-making surrounding the 2021 Kabul withdrawal and the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and about 170 Afghans. The review panel has suggested the files could bear on how the evacuation was planned and executed, what warnings were available, and whether earlier official accounts were incomplete. At this stage, any claim about specific “secrets” in the documents would be speculative. The most defensible answer is that the documents are said to contain important undisclosed information about the withdrawal and attack, but the substance remains classified and unreleased. Until the Pentagon publishes findings or declassifies material, the hidden documents remain a significant but still unproven development in the broader review of the Kabul withdrawal.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 6

Early in 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth killed Gen. Christopher Donahue’s nomination to become the top U.S. military officer in Europe, according to the report.
The move was driven by Hegseth’s belief that President Donald Trump wanted accountability for the 2021 Kabul airport suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members.
Donahue was not responsible for security at the bombing site, but he was a senior commander at the airport during the Afghanistan withdrawal and was swept into the fallout.
Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff, later tried to reverse the decision, carrying a fact sheet defending Donahue’s record during a March 2025 ride to the White House.
That defense stressed Donahue’s 30-year career, more than 20 deployments and his recent role shaping U.S. support for Ukraine and new drone- and AI-focused warfare concepts.