'Today We Make History': Commission Probing Afghanistan War Starts Work with Veterans Top of Mind

What went wrong with the war in Afghanistan?

It's a question that scholars, policymakers, service members, veterans and everyday Americans have debated over the course of the 20-year conflict, a discourse that picked up significantly after the chaotic and unsuccessful end to the war in 2021. Now, a congressionally chartered commission is seeking definitive answers.

The Afghanistan War Commission, created by Congress shortly after the 2021 withdrawal, held its first public hearing Friday, formally kicking off its heavy undertaking of assessing the mistakes of America's longest war and providing recommendations to ensure leaders don't make the same mistakes in the future.

"Today, we make history," Shamila Chaudhary, co-chair of the commission, said as the hearing opened. "Never before has the United States commissioned such a wide-ranging and independent legislative assessment of its own decision-making in the aftermath of a conflict.