Secretary of State Antony Blinken personally apologized Wednesday to the families of 13 U.S. troops killed by a suicide bomber during America’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying he wished the government had done more to protect them.

But Mr. Blinken told Congress the withdrawal itself has not turned out as badly as his critics had feared, with the Biden administration managing to blunt some of the worst problems.

He said al Qaeda has not been able to revive itself inside Afghanistan, and he said worries about stranded Americans haven’t come to fruition as the U.S. has managed to rescue hundreds of people still in the country at the end of the 2021 pullout.

And far from frayed alliances and falling U.S. standing, he said, America emerged with firmer friends and better security on the international stage. In particular, said the withdrawal allowed the U.S. to be in a position to build the coalition that helped Ukraine resist Russia’s latest invasion.

“It’s clear that our alliances, our partnerships, are stronger today than they have been in a generation,” he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

With family of the 13 dead U.S. troops in the audience for the hearing, Mr. Blinken delivered his apology.

SEE ALSO: Blinken apologizes to families of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan pullout

“I deeply regret that we did not do more and could not do more to protect them,” he said.

He turned in particular to the family of Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, and said, “I wish that Nicole was here with us today. I’m deeply sorry she is not.”

Republicans welcomed the apology but were dismayed by what they saw as an attempt to rewrite the history of the withdrawal. They said Mr. Blinken’s departure can’t come soon enough.

Rep. Michael McCaul, the committee’s chair, disputed Mr. Blinken’s suggestion that the Afghanistan withdrawal helped the U.S. be in a position to combat Russia.

Just the opposite, he said, pointing to Russian troops that began mobilizing for the Ukraine invasion soon after the withdrawal.

“This catastrophic event was the beginning of a failed foreign policy that lit the world on fire,” the Texas Republican said.

SEE ALSO: Rep. Cory Mills spanks Secretary Blinken over Gaza rescues: ‘I was there. Were you?’

Rep. Warren Davidson, Ohio Republican, said Mr. Blinken oversaw an “unprecedented” 11 embassy evacuations during his tenure.

“It’s appalling to see you sit here and say ‘I express sympathy’ and yet have never acknowledged the failures or owned the consequences,” Mr. Davidson said.

The withdrawal came after a 20-year war effort that saw the U.S. oust the Taliban and install and defend a more friendly government, then watch as those gains slipped away. President Trump negotiated the withdrawal, which then fell to Mr. Biden to carry out.

Mr. Blinken said at that point, they had no choice but to follow through. But he said the stunning collapse of the government and the advance of the Taliban in the summer of 2021 caught everyone by surprise.

“There was no consensus view that the government, the Afghan forces, were going to collapse,” he said.

They were forced into a rushed evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies, had to dispose of U.S. equipment and tried to blunt the worst outcomes of a new Taliban-controlled government.

Mr. Blinken said the U.S. has now evacuated every American who was in Afghanistan at the end of the pullout who has expressed an interest in leaving.

He said nearly 200,000 Afghans have also been evacuated and resettled, including 68,000 who were allies in the U.S. war effort and were promised a safe escape in exchange for their assistance.

Mr. Blinken acknowledged they are struggling with Afghan allies who were promised a pass to the U.S. for assisting the war effort.

He said 54,000 Afghans are awaiting initial State Department approval, but only about 35% are likely to be approved. Another 10,000 have already been approved and are awaiting a final in-person interview, but 9,000 of them are still in Afghanistan, where the U.S. doesn’t have any diplomatic presence.

He said there are 63,000 more Afghans who have expressed interest in the program but haven’t completed an application.

Mr. Blinken also acknowledged that life has deteriorated for many ordinary Afghans — particularly women and children.

A new Morality Law has eliminated “the few freedoms women had left,” banning them from speaking, singing or laughing in public, according to the the latest report by an inspector general overseeing U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.

Mr. Blinken admitted to Rep. Brian Mast that the U.S. doesn’t have any diplomats in the country and has lost control of the American embassy building. He couldn’t say who’s taken over the property.

“We don’t have the ability, not being in Afghanistan, to control it,” the secretary said.

Mr. Mast, a Florida congressman who will become chairman of the committee in the next Congress, wondered why the U.S. was still pumping cash into Afghanistan if it can’t verify how it’s being spent. He pointed to tens of millions of dollars spent to teach women how to farm, and said that was troubling given that women are banned from much of public life.

“We have no eyes on the ground,” Mr. Mast said.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, Michigan Republican, challenged Mr. Blinken’s assertion that all Americans who were left behind at the time of the evacuation and who wanted to get out have been helped.

The congressman said his office is in contact with people still stranded.

“We have citizens there who are not there voluntarily who want to get out, and the State Department has utterly failed them,” he said.

Rep. Cory Mills, Florida Republican, said Mr. Blinken made similar mistakes after Hamas’s murderous attack on Israel last year.

“I got 255 Americans out by myself before the State Department lifted a finger and did anything to bring a plane in,” he told the secretary.

Mr. Blinken denied that, spurring Mr. Mills to new anger.

“How many Americans did you personally rescue, sir?” he said.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.