Monday marked the final day of the two-decades-long war when the final U.S. forces remaining in Afghanistan departed the collapsed country. According to the Pentagon, roughly 250 Americans remain stranded as airlift evacuations have ended.
“We did not get everyone out that we wanted to get out,” stated General McKenzie, Commander of the U.S. Central Command.
U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt took exception to President Joe Biden’s refusal to extend the August 31 withdrawal deadline, arguing that U.S. military personnel should remain until every American citizen has been rescued.
Gen. McKenzie just said at least “hundreds” of Americans have been left behind and the Biden Administration will rely on “diplomacy” with the Taliban to get them out. Untold number of allies left behind, too. Leaving anyone behind is a disgrace and un-American. https://t.co/1U9viSZ2Bx
— Katie Britt for AL (@KatieBrittforAL) August 30, 2021
“Gen. McKenzie just said at least ‘hundreds’ of Americans have been left behind and the Biden Administration will rely on ‘diplomacy’ with the Taliban to get them out,” said Britt. “Untold number of allies left behind, too. Leaving anyone behind is a disgrace and un-American.”
Britt believes Biden’s handling of the withdrawal weakens the United States’ positioning on the world stage.
She added, “The Biden Administration knows this, admits this and still willingly left. This is a gut punch to every American and ally around the world.”
Britt concluded, “The only ‘deadline’ the Biden Administration should have recognized was the day we got our last person out safely. Not only is August 31 arbitrary, but the Biden Administration left time on that clock, as well. We’ve left American citizens behind enemy lines, and Joe Biden isn’t even the one to address the nation. It’s just an abdication of leadership all around.”
The Biden administration continues to draw immense criticism over its handling of the drawdown of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The president refused to waive the established August 31 withdrawal date after Taliban leaders declined to have the deadline extended.
The remaining Americans that the government failed to evacuate now reside in a country under strict Taliban rule. U.S. officials say the government will partake in diplomatic engagement with the Taliban to ensure the return of the Americans stranded in the Middle Eastern country.
After the war’s final moments, Taliban militants took to the streets of Kabul and reigned gunfire over the nation’s capital to celebrate the end of U.S. occupation in Afghanistan.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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