Afghanistan Departure

Thank you for filing your FOIA request online on 9/16/2021. Here is a review of your request.

The records I request can be described as follows:

To Whom It May Concern:Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:1. All internal reports produced since May 2019 regarding the departure of the U.S. military from Afghanistan2. All electronic communication (email, phone call, and video calls) from the U.S. Secretary of State since January 2021 to and from Ashraf Ghani. This would include any transcripts of phone calls and the recording of the video call, if available3. All communications between the U.S. Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense since January 2021 that contains the following words: "Afghanistan" and "Taliban"4. All memos written by the U.S. Secretary of State and the Undersecretary of Political Affairs that contains the following words and phrases: "Afghanistan" and "Taliban" since March 2021The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.Sincerely,Carlos GamezUpload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

The time period of my request is from 05/01/2019 to 09/16/2021

I am An individual seeking information for personal use and not for commercial use.

I am willing to pay $25 for my request.

My additional comments are as follows:

N/A

Contact Information
Mr. Carlos Gamez
MuckRock News DEPT MR 119308
411A Highland Ave
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144-2516
P: (617)299-1832
F: N/A
requests@muckrock.com

**THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.** Mr.Gamez: This email acknowledges receipt of your September 16, 2021, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552) request received by the U.S. Department of State, Office ofInformation Programs and Services on September 16, 2021, regarding 1. All internal reports produced since May 2019 regarding the departure of the U.S. military from Afghanistan, 2. All electronic communication from the U.S. Secretary of State since January 2021 to and from Ashraf Ghani, 3. All communications between the U.S. Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense since January 2021 that contains the following words: "Afghanistan" and "Taliban", and 4. All memos written by the U.S. Secretary of State and the Undersecretary of Political Affairs that contains the following words and phrases: "Afghanistan" and "Taliban" since March 2021 (Date Range for Record Search: From 5/1/2019 To 9/16/2021). Unless you advise otherwise, we will treat as non-responsive any compilations of publicly available news reports and any publicly available documents not created by the U.S. government, such as mass-distribution emails from news media.  This Office assigned your request the subject reference number and placed it in the complex processing track where it will beprocessed as quickly as possible. See 22 CFR § 171.11(h). This Office willnot be able to respond within the 20 days provided by the statute due to“unusual circumstances.” See 5 U.S.C. §552(a)(6)(B)(i)-(iii). In this instance,the unusual circumstances include the need to search for and collect requestedrecords from other Department offices or Foreign Service posts. If you have any questions regarding yourrequest , would like to narrow the scope or arrange analternative time frame to speed its processing, or would like an estimated dateof completion, please contact our FOIA Requester Service Center or our FOIAPublic Liaison by email at FOIAstatus@state.gov or telephone at202-261-8484. Additionally, youmay contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at theNational Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIAmediation services they offer. Thecontact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government InformationServices, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS,College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, email at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769. **THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.**

Mr. Gamez,

This is in response to your email below regarding FOIA Case Control Number F-2021-10343.

Your request is still in process and has an April 30, 2024, estimated date of completion (EDC). EDCs are estimates and subject to change. If your request can be completed prior to the EDC, a response will be sent sooner.

Please be advised that the Department currently has a backlog of FOIA requests and is working through it as quickly as possible. As the Department continues to work through its backlog of FOIA requests, it is mindful of its accountability to the public.

We apologize for the delayed response and appreciate your continued patience.
Regards,

U.S. Department of State
FOIA Requester Service Center