Bush Urges U.S. to Expedite Aid to Afghan Refugees

Former President George Bush, the president responsible for America entering what is now the failed war in Afghanistan, urged the U.S. government to expedite help for Afghan refugees following the Taliban takeover.

“The United States government has the legal authority to cut the red tape for refugees during urgent humanitarian crises,” he said in a statement with former first lady Laura Bush Monday. “And we have the responsibility and the resources to secure safe passage for them now, without bureaucratic delay.”

The Bush's added they are “confident that the evacuation efforts will be effective.”

“Our most stalwart allies, along with private NGOs, are ready to help,” they said.

While they feel “deep sadness” over the tragic events happening in Afghanistan, they remain optimistic that the Afghan people are resilient, especially younger Afghans who grew up without the Taliban over the last 20 years, Reuters reports.

During the Bush administration, U.S. forces overtook the Taliban government in Kabul, which hosted al Qaeda militants responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Current and former officials, however, said that Bush’s separate focus on Iraq was a distraction and left Washington’s Afghanistan strategy lackluster.