In a recent speech, Biden defended his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, despite the tragic loss of 13 service members during the process.
Washington: So, President Biden recently gave a speech where he talked about pulling out of Afghanistan. He seemed pretty proud of his decision, saying he didn’t see a reason to keep troops there anymore. This was despite warnings from military leaders who thought it would lead to chaos.
He mentioned that he was the first president in a long time not leaving a war for his successor. Biden pointed out that the main goal was achieved when they took out Osama Bin Laden back in 2011. He felt that the threat from Al Qaeda had shifted elsewhere, so keeping troops in Afghanistan wasn’t necessary.
But here’s the kicker: his military advisers were against this plan. They warned that if the U.S. pulled out, the Afghan government would collapse. And guess what? They were right. The Taliban took over Kabul just as the last American troops were leaving in August 2021.
Since then, the Taliban has been pretty harsh, especially towards women, and they’ve been misusing foreign aid. Many veterans feel like their sacrifices were in vain with how things turned out.
In his speech, Biden didn’t really address the fallout from his decision. Instead, he celebrated not spending tons of money on the war anymore. He claimed that ending the war allowed the U.S. to focus on other pressing issues.
He also mentioned that adversaries like Russia and China would have loved for the U.S. to stay tied down in Afghanistan. But he believes history will show that ending the war was the right call.
However, he glossed over the tragic suicide attack that killed 13 service members during the withdrawal. He briefly honored those who lost their lives but didn’t go into detail about the attack itself.
Critics, including some Republican lawmakers, slammed him for celebrating the withdrawal as a success. They argue it showed U.S. weakness and led to the release of dangerous terrorists.
Overall, Biden’s speech was a mix of pride and controversy, leaving many to question the real impact of the withdrawal on U.S. foreign policy.
