WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES – Former US president Donald Trump criticized the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it “horrible” and “the most embarrassing day” in the history of the United States.
During the first US presidential debate on Thursday, June 27, Trump said that his proposed withdrawal plan would have enabled the US to exit Afghanistan “with dignity.”
“I was getting out of Afghanistan, but we were getting out with dignity, with strength, with power,” Trump said.
“No general got fired for the most embarrassing moment in the history of the United States. We left behind billions of dollars in equipment, lost 13 soldiers, and left behind people, including American citizens,” he added.
Mr. Trump further said that the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan encouraged Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, to invade Ukraine.
The US military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 resulted in the rapid collapse of the Western-supported republican government and the return to power of the Taliban.
During the withdrawal, a suicide bombing at Kabul Airport on August 26, killed 13 US service members and 170 Afghan civilians. The Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-KP) later claimed responsibility for the attack.
U.S. politicians, lawmakers, and generals have repeatedly criticized the Biden administration’s handling of Afghanistan, particularly the chaotic troop withdrawal that allowed the Taliban to regain control.
Last month, Michael McCaul, Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the “deadly and chaotic” withdrawal from Afghanistan will remain a stain on American foreign policy for generations.
“Shortly after the withdrawal, we saw the satellite imagery of the Russian federation amassing troops on the Ukrainian border,” the US congressman said. “Weakness invites aggression and our adversaries see that.”
Even top US generals like Mark Milley, who oversaw the withdrawal operation, have voiced concerns about the way it was conducted.
In an interview with ABC News last year, General Milley called the withdrawal a “strategic failure” that did not achieve its intended outcome.
