The way our leaders got out should shock even a jaded observer of shady politics.
This vast pile of evidence, Coll and Entous write, amounts to “a dispiriting record of misjudgment, hubris, and delusion.” They could have added to that list of adjectives:-delusion, incompetence, and sheer mendacity. Not that getting out of Afghanistan was a bad idea. But the way our leaders got out should shock even a jaded observer of shady politics.Joe Biden, as well as some of their top aides, come off rather badly in the article.
Under the deal that Khalilzad signed, the Taliban agreed not to attack U.S. troops as they were withdrawing, but they were expressly allowed to continue fighting Afghan troops. The Taliban also insisted that the Afghan government free 5,000 prisoners. U.S. military officers who took part in the negotiations vowed to walk out if the Taliban got the release without agreeing to a cease-fire.
Two days after Biden’s inauguration, Sullivan assured Ghani’s national security adviser that if the Taliban didn’t get serious at the peace talks, “they will bear the consequences of their choices.” Sullivan explained that this did not mean the U.S. would “escalate the conflict”—only that we would “take a hard-nosed look at the situation.” The level of cliché here is remarkable.
Five days later, the Taliban entered Kabul in force, and Ghani fled the country. On Aug. 30, the last of the U.S. troops—who had been reinforced for the sole purpose of handling a massive evacuation—left the country as well. The 20-year war was over, at least for us.
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