Over the weekend, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and President Biden’s hasty exit strategy, failed policies and continued weakness on the world stage are to blame.
When we first went into Afghanistan, the United States should have had a clearly defined and thorough plan that met the main objective - kill Bin Laden and decimate the Taliban. Peace through strength - shock and awe! President Biden made the decision to disregard military advice. "[u.s.] leaders were told by the military it would take no time at all for the Taliban to take everything," an anonymous U.S. intelligence official told ABC News. "No one listened”. President Biden has once again led us into a national security crisis.
There is no denying we have been in Afghanistan for far too long, have spent too many tax dollars, and lost too many lives. But that doesn’t change that the withdrawal strategy is putting U.S. citizens and allies in serious danger. I am less concerned about the decision to withdraw than the poorly crafted and executed exit strategy.
On Monday, President Biden addressed the nation. Unfortunately, rather than taking responsibility for the chaos, President Biden blamed President Trump and the Afghan people.
President Trump like many others, believes we should withdraw. However, if you refer back to President Trump’s Afghanistan speech, he warned a rapid exit would have tragic consequences. “My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts… the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th. And, as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.”
For President Biden to claim that he was honoring President Trump's withdrawal agreement is simply dishonest. Biden‘s administration has not kept one of Trump's foreign policy agreements or mandates (e.g., the Iran Deal, Paris Climate Agreement, numerous executive orders). The current evacuation plan was solely orchestrated by the Biden administration over the last eight months.
Additionally, the Biden Administration placing the onus on Afghan forces because they didn’t want to stand up and fight for their country is just not a fair assessment. We must remember that 50,000 Afghans were killed over the last 7 years fighting the Taliban. They were fighting for their country.
The Afghan forces fell because the U.S. withdrew all possible logistical support. The Afghan entire operational structure was built around American Support. “The Afghan army fighting alongside American troops was molded to match the way the Americans operate. The U.S. military, the world’s most advanced, relies heavily on combining ground operations with air power, using aircraft to resupply outposts, strike targets, ferry the wounded, and collect reconnaissance and intelligence. In the wake of President Biden’s withdrawal decision, the U.S. pulled its air support, intelligence and contractors servicing Afghanistan’s planes and helicopters. That meant the Afghan military simply couldn’t operate anymore.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghanistan-army-collapse-taliban-11628958253. The bottom line is Biden's withdrawal put a lot of people unnecessarily in harm’s way.
My priority, as it should be for President Biden and the Administration, is to make sure our U.S. citizens, personnel, and allies are swiftly and safely evacuated.
My office is currently working on evacuating 311 U.S. citizens and Afghan allies who stuck beyond checkpoints. We will do everything within my power to make sure we leave no one behind.
My heart goes out to our brave troops and those that lost loved ones and our Afghan allies who put their lives on the line during this war in Afghanistan. Watching the collapse of Kabul, many of our veterans are left feeling that their service and sacrifice was in vain. I would like to assure each and every one of them that America is proud of you and your bravery and dedication to our great nation will always be appreciated and never forgotten.
Due to Veterans from all eras reacting to the events in Afghanistan, such as withdrawal and take over by the Taliban, the VA is working quickly to share VA resources, call center information, peer support, and other community services.
If you are a veteran and struggling with the current situation in Afghanistan, please visit VAntage Point, here, and remember, you are not alone during this difficult time.
