President Biden was left with a difficult choice regarding the Afghanistan ” forever” War because of Trump’s “surrender deal” with the Taliban. With a drawdown of troops to 2500, a release of 5000 Taliban prisoners, and a deadline for a total withdrawal, Biden was faced with potential retaliation from the Taliban if the U.S. didn’t honor the ex- president’s deal and a forced need to escalate not end the war. It’s easy for pundits to speculate how great the withdrawal would have gone if it had started earlier, without knowledge of the potential increased risks involved. General’s Austin and Milley urged Biden to keep a military footprint in Afghanistan, keeping the war going. However, President Biden believed a U.S. diplomatic policy without military involvement was now in the best interest of America and its people.
President George W. Bush started the war with the goal of eliminating terrorist threats to America by groups in Afghanistan who are dedicated to the destruction of the American democracy. Through the years, the reasons our president’s gave for keeping a military presence in Afghanistan continued to change. The original reason for U.S. involvement in the war was accomplished early in the process. However, new justifications kept emerging and the war kept going while trillions of dollars were spent and American lives were lost. Administrations from both parties fought to transform Afghanistan into a civilized, humane country and possibly a democratic one. Neither of those goals, however noble, were not reasons for America to stay in war.
Trump, the opportunistic coward, decreased the number of troops in Afghanistan to such a low number that any attempt to withdraw from the country increased the odds of U.S. troops being unable to effectively protect themselves. The questioning about whether evacuating sooner or taking longer to withdraw is pointless. The reduced troop level and the release of thousands of terrorists from Afghan prisons foreshadowed the swift takeover of Kabul and the attack on U.S. troops by ISIS K. The condemnation of Biden is political and ironically lacks the consistency of what Trump and his disingenuous ‘America First’ slogan pretends to represent.
There is no doubt that President Biden is grieving hardAdministrations from both parties fought to transform Afghanistan into a civilized, humane country and possibly a democratic one. Neither of those goals, however noble, were not reasons for America to stay in war. over the loss of the 13 American troops killed in the ISIS K suicide bombing at the Kabul airport. A warning had been issued by American intelligence that an attack was possible. Military professionals have been explaining that getting out of a war, especially one with an unsuccessful outcome, is always a risky and dangerous process.
The post war plan includes diplomatic efforts and counter terrorism efforts to monitor groups who may try to use Afghanistan as a haven for terrorist groups who might threaten U.S. national security. Republicans are licking their partisan chops to use the withdrawal from the war to attack the Biden administration, while President Biden moves forward with an agenda for America that repairs the damage done to America by their incompetent, autocratic ex-president.
