Hegseth Targets Gen. Donahue, Last U.S. Soldier Out of Afghanistan in 2021
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 28
Hegseth Targets Gen. Donahue, Last U.S. Soldier Out of Afghanistan in 2021
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 28
Summary
Gen. Christopher Donahue — the 82nd Airborne commander photographed as the last U.S. soldier leaving Kabul on Aug. 31, 2021 — is described as the latest senior officer caught in Pete Hegseth’s military purge.
That profile appears central to why he was singled out: the image became a symbol of the Afghanistan withdrawal, and critics seeking accountability for the defeat tied Donahue to the chaotic exit.
Donahue had been rushed into Kabul after the Afghan government collapsed and, according to his account to investigators, imposed order by warning the Taliban that U.S. forces would control the gates and could inflict heavier losses.
The withdrawal still ended in disaster, with a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate killing 13 U.S. service members and about 170 Afghan civilians, while thousands of Afghan allies were left behind under renewed Taliban rule.
Political blowback had already reached Donahue before this episode: in 2024, then-Sen. Markwayne Mullin briefly blocked his nomination to lead Army forces in Europe over the Afghanistan withdrawal.