U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), on Friday released a statement challenging President Joe Biden to outline a plan for the current state of the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“When President Biden and Vice President Harris took office they declared ‘America is back’ but all we’re seeing from the Biden-Harris administration is that America has turned its back on the women and children in Afghanistan,” stated Rogers.
This comes as the Biden State Department announced the United States is preparing to deploy 3,000 troops to the embattled Middle Eastern country to assist in withdrawal operations and evacuate the Kabul Embassy. Reports have indicated that the Taliban is gaining ground and advancing in territory formerly secured by American forces.
Ranking Member @RepMikeRogersAL: “Mr. President, I ask again: what is your plan?”https://t.co/o3SPsmjYiu pic.twitter.com/O9PSTUi6nd
— Armed Services GOP (@HASCRepublicans) August 13, 2021
Rogers added, “Naively and without a plan, President Biden announced that he would withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11th, the 20th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil. Because of President Biden’s failure to plan, more troops are heading back into Afghanistan, our embassy is being evacuated, and the Taliban are rapidly advancing across the country.”
He concluded, “The Biden-Harris withdrawal date will be missed – marked with additional troops in Afghanistan and the Taliban moving in on Kabul. Mr. President, I ask again: what is your plan?”
Former President Donald Trump last year called for a full-withdrawal by May 1, before Biden assumed the presidency and pushed the date further back. More than 2,000 American servicemembers have lost their lives during the 20 years of war fought in Afghanistan. In less than one month after U.S. personnel began to exit, the Taliban appears poised to regain control of much of its territory.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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