Afghanistan One Year Later
It was August 26, 2021, when 13 U.S. military personnel were killed by a terrorist attack at the Abbey Gate at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. We grieve their loss as we look back one year later at what led up to that fateful day. We remember them. We pray for their fellow service members who were with them that day and for their families who will forever mourn the loss of their loved ones.
In the fall of 2001, the United States sent military troops into Afghanistan. That September 11th, al-Qaeda terrorists, based in Afghanistan, had killed thousands of Americans in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. The U.S. Armed Forces that flooded into the isolated country were there to stop the Taliban’s control of the country, because they harbored al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden.
Twenty years later, President Biden decided to withdraw all U.S. troops from the country—falsely claiming that he was bound by his predecessor’s decision to do so. So, the war “ended” two decades after it began, with the Taliban in control of the country again, where it still harbors terrorist groups—only now it protects not only al-Qaeda, but Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) as well. After the deaths of thousands of U.S. service members and billions of dollars wasted, Afghanistan looks just like it did before the U.S. invaded. It is again a safe haven for terrorists who want to kill Americans.
It is interesting that President Biden, who reversed virtually all of President Trump’s policies and decisions upon entering office, claimed he could not reverse Trump’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. Biden also presented a false choice to the American people in defense of his actions, as he called the withdrawal operation an “extraordinary success.” He claimed that he had only two choices: Either to remove all troops from Afghanistan or to send in thousands more U.S. troops. That is not even close to accurate.
As the Commander-in-Chief, Biden had many choices as to what to do with Afghanistan. Further, his own military commanders and intelligence officials strongly advised that even leaving just 2,500 to 6,000 troops in Afghanistan would prevent chaos and the total collapse of the Afghanistan government, which the U.S. had helped establish. The President refused. Initially Biden claimed that not one military advisor recommended leaving any troops there. However, later testifying before Congress, his top military advisors said that was not true. The decision to remove all the military from Afghanistan was President Biden’s and his alone. Even our coalition partners, who were not given advance notice of Biden’s decision, objected to the withdrawal.
Additionally, the Trump Administration’s decision to pull the U.S. military out of the country was conditions-based. Those conditions included the Taliban not trying to overthrow the government there and not attacking U.S. troops. The Trump plan was not an unconditional withdrawal—and certainly was not the unconditional surrender carried out by the Biden Administration. Even those who supported the idea of removing all forces from Afghanistan were struck by the poor planning and horrible execution of the pull out. It ranks as likely the most disastrous military operation in modern military history.
After President Biden announced the U.S. intention to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly went on the offensive across that nation, province by province. On August 15, the Taliban faced little resistance as the capital of Kabul fell quickly. As unbelievable as it sounds, the Taliban had offered to leave the capital under U.S. control until all U.S. personnel were evacuated. The Biden Administration declined this offer.
Bagram Air Base was a larger airfield only 35 miles from Kabul and easily defendable. But because the Biden team had closed Bagram literally overnight, the Kabul airport was the only evacuation point. Compounding one poor decision after another, the U.S. asked the Taliban to provide security for the perimeter of the airport. On August 16th, thousands of people rushed to the airport, including U.S. citizens and visa holders, as the government of Afghanistan collapsed. It was absolute chaos that would lead to human tragedy.
The world witnessed the disorganized evacuation from the war-torn country. Desperation led people to cling to the outside of U.S. military aircraft as they took off from the Kabul airport. Some fell to their deaths. U.S. troops provided aid, water, and attempted traffic control of the mass exodus of people. People were literally handing off babies and children to our troops in an attempt to save their lives and get them to freedom.
Multiple European allies warned on Aug. 25-26th that the Kabul airport was no longer safe and the evacuation activities needed to temporarily stop—that an ISIS-K attack was imminent. The warnings were ignored. On August 26th, a suicide bomber killed more than 170 people, including 13 American service members. Hundreds were wounded. Of course, the attack was claimed by ISIS-K, the Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Under the President’s orders, the last U.S. soldier left Afghanistan on August 31st. Just before the U.S. military left, as one of its final acts in the war in Afghanistan, it executed a drone strike that General Mark Milley called a “righteous strike.” It killed 10 innocent civilians. The U.S. said it was targeting a vehicle driven by ISIS-K that was loaded with explosives. It turned out the van was driven by a longtime aid worker who was employed by the United States.
The Biden Administration completed its withdrawal. However, several hundred Americans were still in Afghanistan, even though they wanted to leave. Thousands more Afghans, loyal to the U.S. and many who worked for the Americans as translators, embassy staffers, and others, were also stranded. Thousands of Christians were left abandoned. They were all targets for the Taliban. Today there are many people who should have been rescued who are still stuck in this country controlled by Taliban terrorists. This includes U.S.-trained Afghan Commandos who did most of the fighting in the last few years of the war.
We left behind over seven billion dollars’ worth of military equipment. Instead of toppling the Taliban in our 20-year war there, the Taliban is now the best armed terrorist group in the world. The long-term ramifications of the withdrawal from Afghanistan are still unknown, although we know it discouraged our allies and emboldened our enemies. A dispirited U.S. military and the geo-political division created by the Afghan withdrawal is an encouragement to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the potential for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for Biden’s National Security Council, incredulously stated a few days ago that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan “strengthened our national security” and “restored our credibility on the world stage.” Her statement is illustrative of the denial and delusion of the Biden Administration regarding what is a fiasco and an embarrassment that cost the lives of hundreds of people, including Americans. Without embarrassment, the Biden White House at times has blamed former President Trump, the Afghan military, our own intelligence agencies, and the Afghan people. A few months after the withdrawal, President Biden stated he had absolutely no regrets about his decision to pull all troops out of the country. The White House blame game, and the President’s remarks, only add insult and pain to this insulting and painful episode in U.S. history.
In my time as a senior-ranking officer for the team at Dover Air Force Base dealing with those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and the thousands of Gold Star family members, I was frequently asked by grieving family members if they would ever “get over” the loss of their loved one. My answer was always the same: “Things will get better with time. But you will never get over this. You will get past it, but not over it.” Sadly, the same can be said for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. We will get past this chapter in our shared life as a nation. We will not likely get over it.