Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) stated former President Trump was “out-negotiated” by the Taliban when he struck a deal to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan on a particular timeline.
“What went wrong under Donald Trump is that he was out-negotiated by the Taliban in Doha, and he handcuffed both himself and the next administration to a timetable and a deal that gave Taliban the leverage,” Auchincloss, who served in Afghanistan, stated in an interview on “The Hill” on NewsNation.
The Trump administration brokered a cope with the Taliban in 2020 that laid out a plan for the U.S. to totally withdraw from Afghanistan by Could 2021 if the group upheld sure commitments, resembling denying protected haven to al Qaeda.
President Biden, who shared Trump’s disdain for without end wars, stated he would comply with by with Trump’s plans to withdraw from Afghanistan, however he moved the precise date twice, citing logistical concerns.
The withdrawal, nonetheless, marked a low level for the Biden administration, which was hammered within the media for its messy execution and for the devastating terrorist assault that killed 12 U.S. troopers and others. The Taliban retook management quicker than U.S. officers predicted, which Auchincloss urged was a results of Trump’s deal. The Afghan forces skilled and geared up by American troops additionally failed to supply a lot resistance.
Auchincloss, within the Monday interview, stated the withdrawal would by no means have been flawless, however he credited Biden with making the tough however “courageous decision.”
“The challenge that Joe Biden had is that he made the courageous decision to end a war that had accomplished its counterterrorism purpose, but that had become lost in the muck of a counterinsurgency campaign that was entering its third decade and $3 trillion of sunk cost,” Auchincloss stated.
“And withdrawing 100,000 troops and tens of thousands of more individuals is never going to be a 10 out of 10 dismount. Of course, there were going to be flaws, but ultimately, he took the correct action,” he added.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung responded to the interview by putting blame on the Biden-Harris administration and particularly specializing in the function Vice President Harris, Biden’s working mate, performed within the withdrawal.
“Who is Jake Auchincloss? Whoever he is, he should actually tell the truth about how Harris-Biden presided over one of the biggest foreign policy blunders in U.S. history that led to 13 unnecessary deaths of our service members,” Cheung stated. “Kamala Harris is a disgrace and she proudly said she was the last person in the room with Biden before they made that disastrous decision.”
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which additionally owns The Hill.
