Mike Pence slams Biden over handling of Afghanistan withdrawal: 'What a disgrace'
Journalists slam Afghanistan withdrawal as ‘moral disaster’
Martha Raddatz, ABC News’ chief global affairs correspondent, also expressed criticism over the way the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan as her network covered the president’s speech.
While praising the “very successful evacuation” of “more than 120,000 people,” she asserted that Biden was “conflating the withdrawal with the evacuation.”
“The evacuation occurred because the withdrawal was … they did not realize the Taliban would take over so quickly. They did not realize [Afghanistan] would fall in 11 days and that’s why you ended up with this chaos, that’s why you ended up with so many desperate people.”
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Raddatz recalled that in a July 8 speech, Biden promised that “there’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan.”
Raddatz suggested that Biden did not live up to that promise because people seeking to leave Afghanistan “were clinging to airplanes in those early days.”
She added that Biden placed trust in “the capacity of the Afghan military,” describing them as “ready” and “prepared for this.” Raddatz concluded that the Afghan military was not ready for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, as demonstrated by its collapse and the subsequent resurgence of the Taliban.
Raddatz continued to share Biden’s comments from the July 8 speech, including a guarantee of “the safety of the interpreters.” She reported that “there are thousands of interpreters in Afghanistan right now who are desperate and frightened.”
“Just a month ago, he told our George Stephanopoulos that they would get all Americans out. They’ve gotten 90 percent of those out and that 10 percent right now is scared and still does not know how they’re going to get out,” she added.
Like Raddatz, The Washington Post's editorial board expressed gratitude that “many thousands of American citizens, third-country nationals and Afghans who worked directly for U.S. and allied military forces or embassies made it out.” However, they lamented that “many thousands of people did not, including former U.S. interpreters and their families, and Afghans classified by President Biden and his administration as ‘vulnerable.’”
“As security worsened in the wake of a horrific terrorist attack at the airport last Thursday, and as U.S. troops prepared for their own departure on Monday, time and space ran out for these people. This is a moral disaster, one not attributable to the actions of military and diplomatic personnel in Kabul – who have been courageous and professional, in the face of deadly dangers – but to mistakes, strategic and tactical, by Mr. Biden and his administration.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
