Republican Rep. Liz Cheney criticized Trump and the Biden administration for handling the issue of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. She suggested that Trump provoke this issue, and Biden continues to do so now.
As the government is in chaos, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday. The Taliban effectively controlled the capital Kabul, while the US military evacuated diplomats and civilians.
The Guardian reported on Sunday that the Taliban claimed that they would soon announce an “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”.
Cheney appeared on ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday, where she criticized the failure of American leadership that she had alluded to.
“What we see in Afghanistan now is what happens when the United States withdraws from the world,” Cheney said. “So, for all those who have been saying,’America needs to retreat, America needs to retreat’, we are receiving devastating and disastrous real-time lessons to understand what this means.”
Cheney also made harsh comments on Twitter on Saturday.
Cheney wrote on Twitter: “The tragedy of Trump/Biden in Afghanistan began when the Trump administration negotiated with terrorists and pretended that they were partners in peace. As Biden handed over the country to our terrorism Enemy, the United States surrendered and ended.”
The Trump/Biden disaster in Afghanistan began when the Trump administration negotiated with terrorists and pretended that they were partners in peace. As Biden handed over the country to our terrorist enemies, the United States surrendered. https://t.co/PQ1i5W6zZt
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) August 14, 2021
Joe Biden announced on July 8 that US troops would withdraw from Afghanistan. On Saturday, he said, “The endless presence of the United States in another country’s civil war is unacceptable to me.”
In October 2020, Donald Trump announced that he hopes to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan before Christmas. These comments were immediately welcomed by the Taliban.
Appearing on Sunday on the “This Week” program, Secretary of State Anthony Brinken defended the withdrawal.
“Twenty years ago, we entered Afghanistan with a mission to deal with those who attacked us on 9/11, and this mission was a success,” Brinken said.
This is not “end the endless war”. This is the surrender of the United States, empowering our enemies and ensuring that our children and grandchildren will have to fight this war at a higher cost. https://t.co/USZ3Npn2mI
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) August 15, 2021
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Saturday that intervention is needed to prevent the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan.
“It is not too late to stop the Taliban from occupying Kabul. The government should act quickly to combat the progress of the Taliban through air strikes, provide critical support to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) defending the capital, and prevent the seemingly imminent downfall of this City,” McConnell said in a statement.
“If they do not, the security threats to the United States will definitely increase, and the humanitarian cost to innocent Afghans will be catastrophic.”
