Biden defends Afghanistan withdrawal policy
By the MVI staff
President Joe Biden declared Monday that he stands behind his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, despite “gut-wrenching” images coming out of the country after the swift Taliban takeover.
Biden said he was faced with a choice between sticking to a previously negotiated agreement to withdraw U.S. troops this year or sending thousands more service members back into Afghanistan for a “third decade” of war.
In a televised address from the White House, Biden said he chose the latter so as not to repeat past mistakes, reiterating to the nation that he has no regrets.
“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said. “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.”
The decision has brought backlash from those who consider it a dangerous move. Chaos was witnessed across the globe over the weekend as the Taliban captured Kabul, the capital, and Afghanistan’s president left the country.
U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters Township, said he was appalled by what is transpiring in Afghanistan and especially the way the United States handled its withdrawal from the country.
“As an Iraq War veteran, I am horrified to see the avoidable travesty occurring in Afghanistan right now,” he said. “Any time America retreats or sits down, we leave a power vacuum, which is often filled by nefarious actors. We saw this in Vietnam and again in recent history when ISIS emerged in Iraq after Obama and Biden retreated.
“Instead of learning from past mistakes, Biden is abandoning our allies when they need us most and giving up an incredibly strategic position in the region. It is no surprise that Chinese and Russian embassies are staffed and open for business while the U.S. and Western countries scramble to evacuate their citizens.”
Reschenthaler said Biden’s weakness and vacillation surrendered Afghanistan to the Taliban, taking us backward in history.
“This is putting us right back to where we were in the 1990s, when the Taliban and Al Qaeda used Afghanistan to train and harbor terrorists and expand their control on the region,” he said. “It’s clear Biden refuses to accept the consequences of his decisions. He needs to stop blaming the previous administration and take responsibility for this terrible loss for the United States and our allies.”
To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Tuesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.
