Washington, 14 September 2021 (TDI): On Monday, US State Secretary Antony J. Blinken appeared before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss the United States’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and address the Biden administration’s subsequent policy towards Kabul. The State Secretary staunchly defended the United States’ Afghan withdrawal while addressing a virtual congressional hearing in Washington.
The Republicans termed the pullout a ‘debacle’ during Secretary Blinken’s testimony, while Democrats exhibited extreme disappointment over the decision. Pushing back criticism of the withdrawal, Blinken reiterated that President Biden made the ‘right decision’ for not sending another American generation to fight and die in Kabul, for bringing 5,000 Afghans to safety, and for making considerable efforts to hold the Taliban to the international community’s expectations. Secretary Blinken further stated that extending the US presence in Afghanistan would have made little difference, emphasizing that the former administration left Biden’s government little to work with, apart from a deadline to pull out by May that forced President Biden’s hand.
During the congressional hearing in Washington, Biden’s pullout from Afghanistan followed by disrupted evacuation efforts came under intense criticism from the lawmakers, including a few calls for Secretary Blinken’s resignation. However, Blinken announced that US State Department is in touch with around 100 American citizens who are seeking to leave Kabul, besides appointing a senior official to inspect issues concerning Afghan women and girls.
