With the August 31 Afghanistan withdrawal creeping around the corner and the Taliban breathing down Biden’s neck, House republicans warn that blood will be on his hands if he sticks to the deadline.
“Our offices right now are operation centers, calling gate guards, calling the Kabul airport, guiding people through, telling them how to avoid Taliban checkpoints,” said Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, an Afghanistan war veteran. “It’s unbelievable, the lack of leadership. So I 100% agree that blood is and will be on Joe Biden’s hands and this Congress will hold him accountable.”
Indiana Rep. Jim Bates, who is also an Afghanistan veteran, felt similarly about Biden’s handling of the withdrawal.
“Let me be very clear: If any American is harmed, injured or killed and not safely evacuated out of Afghanistan, or if any of these weapons or this military equipment is used to harm, injure or kill an American now or at any time in the future, the blood is on Joe Biden’s hands,” he said.
As previously reported by Human Events News, the Taliban said that it won’t accept an extension to the August 31 withdrawal.
“You can say it’s a red line,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News. “If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations — the answer is no,” Shaheen said, “or there would be consequences.”
House republicans cautioned the White House that Al-Qaeda is still operating in Afghanistan, despite Biden’s repeated claims that the terrorist organization is gone, per Just the News.
“America is going to face al Qaeda 3.0,” Waltz said. “The intelligence community has been clear and has briefed us repeatedly that the Taliban taking over means al Qaeda 3.0 comes roaring back. Except now we’re in a worse position than we were before 2001. We have no bases in the region.”
“We have given up our ability to collect intel at the most dangerous point in Afghanistan’s history,” Texas Rep. Tony Gonzalez, also an Afghanistan veteran, said. “I’d argue right now is more dangerous to Americans than the first day we went in 2001. Why? Because we have no intelligence. This administration has given up the high ground on intelligence when we are trying to extract Americans. It is absolutely unacceptable.”
