Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee for president Hillary Clinton raised concerns over President Joe Biden's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, warning of "two huge consequences" of leaving the war-torn region in an interview Sunday.
The first consequence is "the potential collapse of the Afghan government and a takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban," Clinton said.
She warned that civil war might resume in the country if American troops leave, a concern shared by U.S. commanders in the region who opposed the withdrawal over fears the Taliban could overrun Afghan armed forces without American military support.
Clinton added that the United States has an obligation to protect "many thousands of Afghans" who worked with the U.S. and NATO, those who "stood up and spoke out for women's rights and human rights."
"I hope that the administration in concert with the Congress will have a very large visa program and will begin immediately to try to provide that channel for so many Afghans to utilize so that they are not left in danger," she said, predicting a "huge refugee outflow" if Afghanistan spirals into civil war.
The second major consequence of U.S. withdrawal, according to Clinton, is the "resumption of activities by global terrorist groups, most particularly Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State."
Acknowledging that there has been a "sharp drop in both capacity and action on behalf of Islamic terrorist groups," Clinton said she wouldn't count on that "downward spiral" lasting if the Taliban retakes power and provides refuge for Islamic terrorist groups.
"The Taliban has never been willing to separate itself from Al-Qaeda," Clinton pointed out.
"It's one thing to pull out troops that have been supporting security in Afghanistan, supporting the Afghan military, leaving it pretty much to fend for itself, but we can't afford to walk away from the consequences of that decision," Clinton concluded.
The United States officially began to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan last week, with President Joe Biden's ultimate goal being a complete exit from the country by Sept. 11 — commemorating the 20-year-anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.
Biden's timetable for withdrawal broke an agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban to have American military forces leave Afghanistan by May 1. In response, the Taliban said Friday it will "take every counteraction it deems appropriate against the occupying forces," possibly signaling new attacks on U.S. forces as they attempt to leave the country.
The United States military has officially begun to withdraw from Afghanistan, the White House told reporters Thursday, explaining that additional troops and military equipment have been deployed in the region to protect forces as they leave.
"Potential adversaries should know that if they attack us in our withdrawal, we will defend ourselves, [and] our partners, with all the tools at our disposal," White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said as she traveled with reporters on Air Force One.
"While these actions will initially result in increased forces levels, we remain committed to having all U.S. military personnel out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021," she added, clarifying that the Biden administration wants a "safe and responsible" exit from the country.
CNBC News reported that the Defense Department has temporarily provided B-52H Stratofortress aircraft to U.S. Central Command to assist with troop withdrawal. Central Command oversees American operations in the Middle East. A U.S. Navy carrier strike group was also deployed in the region for support.
On April 13, President Joe Biden announced a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan to be accomplished by Sept. 11, a date commemorating the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The 9/11 attacks propelled America into a 20-year war in Afghanistan that cost the lives of more than 2,000 U.S. soldiers and 100,000 Afghan civilians and added trillions of dollars to the national debt.
An estimated 3,000 U.S. service members will be called home, though not before the May 1 deadline President Donald Trump's administration negotiated with the Taliban.
President Biden called for an end to the "forever war" in Afghanistan during his first address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday evening.
"American leadership means ending the forever war in Afghanistan. We have the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. And I'm the first president in 40 years who knows what it means to have had a child serving in a war zone," Biden said.
"Today we have service members serving in the same war as their parents once did. We have service members in Afghanistan who were not yet born on 9/11. War in Afghanistan was never meant to be a multi-generational undertaking of nation-building," he continued. "We went to Afghanistan to get the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. We delivered justice to Osama Bin Laden and we degraded the terrorist threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan. After 20 years of American valor and sacrifice, it's time to bring our troops home."
"Even as we do, we will maintain an over-the-horizon capability to suppress future threats to the homeland. But make no mistake — the terrorist threat has evolved beyond Afghanistan since 2001, and we will remain vigilant against threats to the United States, wherever they come from. Al Qaeda and ISIS are in Yemen, Syria, Somalia, and other places in Africa and the Middle East and beyond," Biden said.
The president claimed the most "lethal terrorist threat" to America, however, is from "white supremacist" groups in the United States.
President Joe Biden said Monday that it will be "tough" to meet a deadline to withdraw the remaining U.S. forces in Afghanistan by a deadline agreed to by the Trump administration.
In an interview with ABC host George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America," Biden was asked if the U.S. will keep its commitment to withdraw U.S. troops by May 1. Biden said he is "in the process" of determining when the troops will come home.
"The fact is that that was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president — the former president — worked out. And so we're in consultation with our allies as well as the government, and that decision's going to be — it's in process now," Biden said.
EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Biden tells @GStephanopoulos it would be "tough" to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan… https://t.co/1PsDOaRo9A— Good Morning America (@Good Morning America)1615981144.0
Last year, former President Donald Trump negotiated a peace deal with the Taliban to end the 19-year U.S. war in Afghanistan. Trump agreed to pull U.S. forces from the region in exchange for commitments on peace talks.
When the deal was struck, the U.S. had more than 12,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan. Over the course of last year, President Trump began withdrawing troops. Today, about 2,500 troops were thought to remain in the country, but the New York Times reported on Sunday that there are also 1,000 special operations forces stationed there.
When asked how much longer the troops will stay, Biden said, "I don't think a lot longer," adding that the May 1 deadline "could happen, but it is tough."
The president laid blame for the delay on the previous administration. "The failure to have an orderly transition from the Trump presidency to my presidency ... has cost me time and consequences," he said.
The agreement Trump reached with the Taliban did not include the Afghani government, and U.S. intelligence later reported that the Taliban had "no intention of abiding by their agreement."
U.S. commanders are opposed to withdrawing now, warning that the Taliban could retake key cities, including the capital, Kabul, should American forces leave the Afghanistan Army to fight alone.
If Biden reneges on the U.S. promise to withdraw, American forces may remain in Afghanistan indefinitely as the U.S. tries to broker a peace agreement between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban.
Acknowledging that the Taliban may not keep their promises, Trump told reporters after announcing the deal that Afghanistan would have to "take care of themselves" and that the United States should not be present there for another 20 years.
"You can only hold somebody's hand for so long. We have to get back to running our country, too," Trump said.
Americans are sick of policymakers not treating them as legitimate stakeholders in the foreign policy process.
Because military recruits have historically come from conservative states, we need to understand foreign policy now more than ever.
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