After almost two decades of US troops established in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has issued a statement saying on September 11, American troops will finally withdraw. Donald Trump is the latest former President to present his opinion on the plan with both former Presidents Bush and Obama weighing in last week. Both had praised Biden for placing an end to the 20 year war but here is what Trump had to say:
“Don’t get me wrong, leaving Afghanistan is a wonderful and positive thing to do. However, I had set a May 1 withdrawal deadline and we should keep as close to that schedule as possible”. However, no military consensus had been nor planned to be agreed upon on May 1 so does this mean that Donald Trump is putting himself over the US military?
Furthermore, Trump had also criticized Biden’s decision to withdraw on September 11: “I wish Joe Biden wouldn’t use September 11 as the date to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan for two reasons: first, we can and should get out earlier. Nineteen years is enough, in fact, far too much and way too long. Second, September 11 represents a very sad event and period for our country and should remain a day of reflection and remembrance honoring those great souls we lost”.
The statement had earned rebuke from multiple news sources and US Senators including Trump supporter Lindsey Graham who commented: “I couldn’t disagree more with former President Trump regarding his support for President Biden’s withdrawal of all forces from Afghanistan against sound military advice. There is nothing wonderful and positive about allowing safe havens and sanctuaries for terrorists to reemerge in Afghanistan or see Afghanistan drawn into anther Civil War”.
Despite Trump’s insults against Biden’s timeline, Biden continues to discuss the plan: “Terrorist threats have changed dramatically over the last 20 years”, says Biden. “We need to allocate resources in a way that allows us to protect the homeland against a variety of threats from a variety of countries and continents, not just Afghanistan”.
