President Joe Biden’s performance in relation to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan has been abysmal. When one wonders if it could get any worse, the White House pushes the incompetence envelope even further.
By now, you have probably already seen the reports of Biden acquiescing to the Taliban on the withdrawal deadline. A spokesperson for the terrorist group stated that the August 31 deadline is a “redline.” The organization also stated that after the month is over, it would no longer allow America’s Afghan allies to gain access to the airport in Kabul for extraction.
Taliban spokesman: “It's a red line. President Biden announced that on 31 August they would withdraw all their military forces… If the U.S. or U.K. were to seek additional time to continue evacuations — the answer is no. Or there would be consequences.”https://t.co/O7nJxo3lp5 pic.twitter.com/PDv2Fn3dDm
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) August 23, 2021
After begging the terrorist organization for more time, the group insisted that the United States adhere to the August 31 deadline and President Joseph R. Biden gave in to their demands.
Here’s the blunt truth: People are going to die because of our president’s fecklessness.
At this point, it is clear that the U.S. will not be able to evacuate all Americans and Afghan allies before the deadline arrives. If the White House respects the Taliban’s commands, it means that these folks will remain stranded in Afghanistan and left to their own devices. Indeed, if Americans are abandoned, it could create a hostage situation in which the Taliban uses them to gain leverage over the U.S.
But for the Afghans who assisted the U.S. military over the past 20 years, it will be even worse. It will be open season on anyone who helped our soldiers. The Taliban will find, capture, and execute these individuals and they will likely do it in the most public and gruesome manner.
As RedState’s Bonchie pointed out:
All these Americans could have evacuated 2-3 months ago before the Taliban were even an issue in Kabul and the surrounding areas. Instead, Biden waited until they took over the entire country to make a move.
During an appearance on MSNBC, Former CIA analyst Matt Zeller accused Biden of trying to “gaslight” the nation on Afghanistan and criticized him for failing to have a viable plan for getting Americans and allies out of the country. “We could have done this in a very orderly fashion, a plan existed all along,” he said.
Zeller tweeted a news report about Biden meeting with other G7 leaders and wrote:
Actual headline: Biden decides to keep August 31 deadline & condemns thousands of Afghan wartime allies to die. #Veterans will never forgive this #betrayal. His administration will forever be defined by one number: those we left behind. #DigitalDunkirk
Actual headline: Biden decides to keep August 31 deadline & condemns thousands of Afghan wartime allies to die. #Veterans will never forgive this #betrayal. His administration will forever be defined by one number: those we left behind. #DigitalDunkirk https://t.co/ZGUafJZJeS
— Matt Zeller (@mattczeller) August 24, 2021
He’s right. Thousands of Afghans who risked everything to help the United States are going to be viciously murdered because of Biden’s refusal to stand up to the Taliban. We should be the ones dictating the terms, not a radical Islamic terrorist group. The president’s failure to take a tougher stance against the organization is only going to embolden them in the future.
There were several arguments for remaining in Afghanistan made by those who opposed the withdrawal. The only one with some validity was the possibility that leaving the region would only make it easier for other terrorist groups to rise up and carry out attacks on American soil. Some argued that the Taliban would resume providing safe harbor for these groups. Indeed, it still maintains important ties to al-Qaeda.
At this point, if the Taliban knows that Biden will roll over for them, why wouldn’t they start harboring terrorists again? Why wouldn’t they solidify their connection to radical extremism?
Biden’s decision to back down to the Taliban has put lives in danger. Not only that, it has also diminished our reputation. If we are willing to throw our Afghan allies under the bus so easily, who else will we be willing to betray?
This whole situation has been flawed from the beginning. But at this point, it is shaping up to be even more disastrous than was originally expected. Indeed, it turns out that Saigon comparisons were inaccurate after all. This situation isn’t like Vietnam – it is worse. Unfortunately, the United States will have a long way to go before it regains the trust of those who are aligned with us.
