Because of Trump’s “surrender agreement” with the Taliban, President Biden faces a difficult choice in the “forever” war in Afghanistan. With the downsizing of the army to 2,500, the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, and the deadline for full withdrawal, if the United States does not abide by the former president’s agreement and is forced to escalate, Biden will face potential retaliation from the Taliban for not ending the war. It is easy for experts to speculate how serious it would be if the withdrawal started early, without having to understand the potential increased risks involved. General Austin and Milly urged Biden to keep his military footprint in Afghanistan and let the war continue. However, President Biden believes that US foreign policy without military intervention is now in the best interests of the United States and its people.
The purpose of President George W. Bush’s war was to eliminate the terrorist threat to the United States from groups in Afghanistan dedicated to undermining American democracy. The reasons given by our president for maintaining a military presence in Afghanistan have changed over the years. The initial reason for the US involvement in the war was completed early in this process. However, new reasons continued to emerge, the war continued, and trillions of dollars were spent, and Americans lost their lives. Both governments are working hard to transform Afghanistan into a civilized, humane country, and possibly even a democratic country. No matter how lofty these two goals are, they are not justifications for the United States to continue the war.
The opportunistic coward Trump reduced the number of troops in Afghanistan to such a low level that any attempt to withdraw from the country would increase the likelihood that the U.S. military would not be able to effectively protect itself. The question of whether to evacuate early or extend the evacuation time is meaningless. The decline in the number of troops and the release of thousands of terrorists from Afghan prisons heralded the rapid occupation of Kabul and the attack by the Islamic State K on US troops. The condemnation of Biden is political, ironically lacking the consistency of Trump and his hypocritical “America First” slogan pretending to be representative.
There is no doubt that President Biden is saddened by the efforts of the bipartisan governments to transform Afghanistan into a civilized, humane country and possible democracy. No matter how lofty these two goals are, they are not justifications for the United States to continue the war. Thirteen US troops were killed in an ISIS K suicide bombing at Kabul Airport. US intelligence agencies have issued warnings that an attack may occur. Military professionals have been explaining that withdrawing from a war, especially an unsuccessful war, is always a process full of risks and dangers.
The post-war plan included diplomatic efforts and counter-terrorism efforts to monitor groups that might try to use Afghanistan as a safe haven for terrorist organizations that might threaten the national security of the United States. Republicans are using their partisanship to use their withdrawal from the war to attack the Biden administration, and President Biden is advancing the American agenda to repair the damage done to the United States by their incompetent and authoritarian former president.
