Biden’s Afghan blunder
15 Jul 2021|Brahma Chellaney
Afghanistan is on the brink of catastrophe, and it is US President Joe Biden’s fault. By overruling America’s top generals and ordering the hasty withdrawal of US troops, Biden opened the way for Taliban terrorists to capture more than a quarter of Afghanistan’s districts. Now, the Taliban are pushing towards Kabul, and the United States is looking weaker than ever.
The US effectively ended its military operations in Afghanistan on 1 July when it handed over to the Afghan government the sprawling Bagram airbase, which long served as the staging ground for US operations in the country. In fact, ‘handover’ is too generous a description. In a sign of what’s to come, US forces quietly slipped out of the base overnight after shutting off the electricity. The resulting security lapse allowed looters to scavenge the facilities before Afghan troops arrived and gained control.
Biden has vehemently defended his decision to withdraw, arguing that the US ‘did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build’ and that ‘staying would have meant US troops taking casualties’. He has also stood by his rushed approach, insisting that ‘speed is safety’ in this context. ‘How many thousands more of America’s daughters and sons are you willing to risk?’
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/bidens-afghan-blunder/
