Afghan withdrawal left Biden frustrated, sleepless: book
by Alex Gangitano - 12/29/22 4:31 PM ET
The U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan left President Biden saddened, frustrated and sleepless as he faced deep criticism over its handling, according to a new book about the administration.
Chris Whipple’s “The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House” says Biden was stunned as the Afghan forces quickly crumbled in August 2021.
“While U.S. troops were on the ground, one of Biden’s close friends told me, the president barely slept,” Whipple wrote, according to a copy of the book obtained by The Hill
“‘You’re watching intel and holding your breath, really just praying that nothing will happen to your people,’ said a senior NSC adviser,” he added, referring to the National Security Council.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden traveled to Dover Air Force Base to observe the dignified transfer of the 13 U.S. service members who died in a suicide bombing in Kabul in the final days of the pullout. The troops, as well as dozens of Afghans, died when a bomb went off near the city’s airport, where U.S. forces were working to evacuate thousands of U.S. citizens and Afghan civilians.
During the trip, a family member whose brother was one of the fallen yelled at the president, “I hope you burn in hell.”
Whipple wrote that former White House press secretary Jen Psaki told him that Biden “over the next couple of days … just felt a deep, misunderstood sadness.”
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3792202-afghan-withdrawal-left-biden-frustrated-sleepless-book/
