The top U.S. officer in Afghanistan will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday morning amid reports of faltering security in the northern part of that country and questions surrounding the mistaken bombing of a hospital there.
Army Gen. John Campbell, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, was scheduled to testify well before the botched airstrike on Saturday, but the tragedy that killed 22 patients and staffers undoubtedly will alter many lawmakers' questions about ongoing U.S. operations in the region.
On Monday, Campbell told reporters that Afghan forces called in the airstrike, and that a full investigation is underway. Officials at Doctors Without Borders, which ran the hospital, have called the bombing "a grave violation of international humanitarian law."
Campbell was already likely to face harsh questions from lawmakers related to Taliban advances in the north of Afghanistan, including the capture of the city of Kunduz in recent weeks.
Last week, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., blamed those losses on President Obama's announced drawdown of American troops from the region, saying it has "created an opening for the Taliban and placed at risk the hard-earned gains of the past decade."
The White House has planned to withdraw all American combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, with the exception of a small embassy security staff.
McCain and other conservatives have pushed against that, arguing that setting timelines for withdrawal only encourages enemy fighters to wait to regroup and confront Afghan security forces after that.
Campbell was confirmed by the committee for the Afghanistan post 14 months ago. The hearing is scheduled for a live stream at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.will be streamed live on the committee's website starting at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
