U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky remains critical of the Biden administration as the Taliban has regained control of Afghanistan.
In a statement Sunday afternoon McConnell says, “The Biden Administration’s botched exit from Afghanistan including the frantic evacuation of Americans and vulnerable Afghans from Kabul is a shameful failure of American leadership.”
He continues, “The rapid advance of the Taliban was expected after the US abandonment of Afghan security forces. The plight of innocent Afghans was predicted, and the challenges of safely evacuating US personnel and innocent Afghans have been magnified by our inexplicable withdrawal from Bagram Air Base. And the likelihood that Al Qaeda will return to plot attacks from Afghanistan is growing.”
Kentucky’s senior senator again expressed concerns about future attacks emerging from Afghanistan, adding “It did not have to happen this way. The United States had the capacity to avoid this disaster. We still have the capacity to dampen its effects, but without a presence on the ground or local partners, defending the homeland from a resurgent al Qaeda will be far more difficult.”
Read the entire statement below:
The Biden Administration’s botched exit from Afghanistan including the frantic evacuation of Americans and vulnerable Afghans from Kabul is a shameful failure of American leadership. The United States had the capacity to avoid this disaster. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/p4wyuWxoHq
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) August 15, 2021