Biden Administration Attributes Afghanistan Withdrawal to Trump

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has stood by its choice to remove American troops from Afghanistan while acknowledging that the withdrawal exposed the need for improved preparation for “high-risk scenarios” in the future. In a summary report released on Thursday, U.S. government agencies responsible for the pullout assigned blame to the previous administration of Donald Trump for the problems that resulted in the disorderly departure of U.S. forces from the nation.

According to the summary report released on Thursday, the options available to President Biden in executing the withdrawal from Afghanistan were significantly limited due to circumstances created by his predecessor. Trump’s administration had negotiated an agreement with the Taliban for withdrawal, which Biden had promised to uphold. However, the review published on Thursday denounced the former GOP leader for not adequately preparing for the deal’s implementation.

Defending its decision to withdraw U.S. military personnel from Afghanistan, the Biden administration has admitted to shortcomings in preparing for critical situations and emphasized the need for improved planning in the future.#Afghanistan #Biden #Biden2024 #Trump #JoeBiden pic.twitter.com/q0iBEa1IH2

— News Live (@NewsLiveFree) April 7, 2023

The summary report released on Thursday revealed that the outgoing Trump administration didn’t furnish the incoming Biden administration with any strategies for executing the final withdrawal or evacuating U.S. citizens and Afghan allies. The report further stated that no such plans were in place when President Biden assumed office, despite the agreed-upon complete withdrawal being only three months away.

The Evacuations from Afghanistan

In August 2021, as U.S. troops withdrew, the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital of Kabul, causing the internationally recognized Afghan government to collapse and leading then-President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country. During the last few weeks of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, American troops were restricted to the vicinity of Kabul’s airport, where they conducted a massive two-week operation to evacuate desperate Afghans seeking to leave the country.

The report released on Thursday did not explicitly accept any errors made by the Biden administration during the withdrawal. However, it underscores the significance of preparing for worst-case scenarios and evacuations. Amid the evacuation effort, a suicide bombing carried out by the Afghan arm of ISIS (ISIL) resulted in the deaths of a minimum of 175 individuals, including 13 U.S. military personnel.

While addressing journalists, John Kirby, the national security spokesperson for the White House, stated that the U.S. government had no way of anticipating that Afghan forces would fail to defend their nation despite two decades of American assistance. He said that one of the takeaways from the Afghanistan withdrawal was the necessity of preparing meticulously and well in advance for low-probability, high-risk situations. Kirby made these remarks at a press briefing.

Degrading Security Situation

According to the report, the U.S. prioritizes early evacuations when security is deteriorating. In addition, John Kirby criticized the Trump administration for failing to involve the Afghan government in the withdrawal agreement negotiations with the Taliban. He also condemned Trump for arranging the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners who the Ghani government was holding without first consulting with the government. These statements were made during Kirby’s briefing.

On Thursday, Trump dismissed the report’s findings, stating on his Truth Social platform that he witnessed the calamity unfold just like everyone else and that Biden was solely accountable. Despite criticisms of the Trump administration, which began the American withdrawal after twenty years in Afghanistan, the report acknowledged that Biden, who assumed office in January 2021, also wanted to conclude the longest war in U.S. history. The report noted that America had been mired in a war in Afghanistan with ambiguous goals and no visible conclusion for two decades. Additionally, the nation needed to invest more in current and future national security concerns.

Criticism from Republicans

Criticism of the withdrawal has been mounting against the Biden administration, primarily from Republicans. Nonetheless, Kirby stated on Thursday that the U.S. was “proud” of its achievement in gaining control of the Kabul Airport in August 2021 and evacuating roughly 100,000 Afghan allies. He acknowledged that everything was not ideal, but a lot went as planned. Kirby stated that many Afghans were now living better lives in the U.S. and other countries globally, owing to the sacrifices and work of countless American government officials.

The report appealed to Congress to pass legislation providing Afghan evacuees with a route to permanent residency in the U.S., which would assist them in integrating into new communities and becoming well-established. Most evacuated people came to the U.S. through the humanitarian parole program, which granted them temporary work permits but not stable immigration status.

The Republican party reacted negatively to Thursday’s review, stating that it was an attempt to transfer responsibility for the Afghanistan withdrawal from Biden to Trump. Congressman Mark Alford expressed his displeasure on Twitter, saying the administration’s decision to evacuate insulted every service member involved. He further stated that their unwillingness to take responsibility for their actions was unacceptable.

In a social media post, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans expressed her disappointment with the review, stating that she was “extremely disappointed” by the assessment. She held President Biden responsible for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan as he was the Commander in Chief at the time. His poor decisions resulted in the loss of lives of 13 U.S. service members.

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