Posted 2 years ago
Former President George W. Bush, the man who ordered the original invasion of Afghanistan 20 years ago, said late Monday that he and former first lady Laura Bush had "been watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness." The latest comments are a follow up from last month when he said that President Biden's decision to pull U.S. troops from Afghanistan would leave Afghan women and girls facing "unspeakable harm."
"The Afghans now at greatest risk are the same ones who have been on the forefront of progress inside their nation," Bush said adding that "we have the responsibility and the resources to secure safe passage for them now, without bureaucratic delay." Bush's criticism, ironically mirror many of the same ones levied against his decision to shift the "war on terror" to Iraq in 2003, seeming to leave America's focus on Afghanistan astray.
While the couple said they felt "deep sadness" over the events unfolding in Afghanistan, they remained "steadfastly" optimistic that the nation's people were resilient, particularly younger Afghans who have grew up without the Taliban over the past two decades. Bush stressed that he's "confident that the evacuation efforts will be effective because they are being carried out by the remarkable men and women of the United States Armed Forces, diplomatic corps, and intelligence community."
Current President Biden, speaking from the White House on said, "I stand squarely behind my decision," arguing that he was faced with a choice to either drawdown or escalate the conflict into its third decade and ultimately put more American lives at risk.
Amid images of desperate Afghans flocking to airports to escape the country, Biden has faced mounting criticism from Republicans and some Democrats who say Biden failed to anticipate the political collapse and ensure that the thousands of Afghans who assisted U.S. forces over the 20-year war effort could exit the country before the Taliban reasserted power.
Topic: US News
Tags: Afghanistan