GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal Reveals Shocking Failures, Surprises Father of Slain Marine

Steve Nikoui, the father of a Marine killed during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, expressed surprise at the extent of failures detailed in a scathing House GOP report. The report highlights glaring deficiencies and a lack of planning by the Biden administration.

Steve Nikoui, the father of Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, who was killed in the August 2021 Kabul airport bombing, has reacted to the release of a House GOP report on the Afghanistan withdrawal. While Nikoui acknowledges that much of the information in the report was already known through congressional hearings, he was taken aback by the sheer magnitude of the Biden administration's failures.

GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal Reveals Shocking Failures, Surprises Father of Slain Marine

"To be honest with you, a majority of the stuff in the report is nothing new," Nikoui said on "America Reports." "But what is good about this report is that it's finally out. There is no more question. There is no more 'this is a conspiracy' or whatever. This is out in a chronological order, and everyone can see the failures that led to this botched withdrawal."

Nikoui found it particularly surprising that the report revealed efforts by the Afghan government to reach out and seek support from the U.S. in countering the Taliban takeover. He believes this indicates that the Biden administration "never had any intention" of supporting the Afghan government during the withdrawal.

GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal Reveals Shocking Failures, Surprises Father of Slain Marine

"The thing is, the administration lied. If it wasn't Kamala Harris, it was Jen Psaki. If it wasn't her, [Karine] Jean-Pierre, the one that is representing the White House and their lies. Manipulations are finally coming out and being shown as what they are," Nikoui said.

He criticized the Biden administration for using the Republican-led wreath-laying ceremony with Gold Star families at Arlington National Cemetery as a political opportunity, rather than a moment of remembrance.

GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal Reveals Shocking Failures, Surprises Father of Slain Marine

"The only ones that are doing any parading, political parading, is the Democratic Party, and they've been lying from the beginning," Nikoui said. "To even go back to what happened at Arlington, there's a day we are looking for to finally get some recognition from our government. A former president is coming to honor our kids and lay a wreath at the [Tomb of the Unknown Soldier], and they use that as a way to use political leverage."

Nikoui believes the GOP report will likely be discussed in the upcoming ABC News Presidential Debate and expressed his hope that it will shed further light on the failures of the Biden administration.

GOP Report on Afghanistan Withdrawal Reveals Shocking Failures, Surprises Father of Slain Marine

"The report was very thorough and comprised a lot of different elements that the American people need to know," Nikoui said. "The Afghanistan withdrawal, it's all out there now. It's all in the report, so I don't know how they can try to spin this in any way. There's not really any leverage for them to do that now."

However, the State Department has defended the Afghanistan withdrawal and criticized the GOP report as partisan.

"Republicans have issued partisan statements, cherry-picked facts, withheld testimonies from the American people, and obfuscated the truth behind conjecture," the State Department said in a statement.