How did it go so wrong? Biden faces flak in US
CNN news anchor Jake Tapper’s first question to US secretary of state Antony Blinken on his Sunday morning show captured the sense of how the rest of the country was viewing Joe Biden’s recent decisions on Afghanistan - “How did President Biden get this so wrong?”
As the day wore on and clips of Taliban fighters walking around inside the presidential palace made rounds, Biden was facing similar questions from supporters and critics.
“This is going to be a stain on this president and this presidency,” said Michael Mccaul, the top Republican on the House foreign relations committee, on the same programme with Tapper.
“I’m left with some grave questions in my mind about his ability to lead our nation as commander-in-chief,” Ryan Crocker, who was former president Barack Obama’s ambassador to Afghanistan, told The Spokesman-review, a Washington state publication, on Sunday morning, shortly before news came of the Taliban entering Kabul.
Biden did not issue any statement or posted a tweet all day. He is vacationing at the Camp David presidential retreat in the adjoining state of Maryland. News reports suggested he is expected to address the nation in the next few days.
Barely a month ago, Biden discounted any chance of the Taliban gaining early control of Kabul and the country. But as the Taliban advanced swiftly in recent days to take control, Biden and his officials sought to
Adeflect some of the criticism by pointing to the flawed deal he inherited from his predecessor Donald Trump, and the “hollow” response of the Afghan army and security forces and their inability to hold off the Taliban insurgents.
“We would have been back at war with tens of thousands of troops having to go... especially as we see, alas, the hollowness of the Afghan security forces,” Blinken said in the CNN interview.
Separately, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Mark Milley told US senators on a briefing call on Sunday that the US could now face a rise in terrorist threats from a Talibanafghanistan.
Based on the fast evolving uation, officials now believe ror groups like Al-qaeda ma able to grow much faster t expected, according to the son, who had direct knowle of the briefing who spoke to AP on condition of anonym
The deputy national secu adviser said the US will sp time on Monday focused in sively on securing the Kabul port and additional US fo will be flowing into the air on Monday and Tuesday.
Jon Finer said in an MS interview that the US rem engaged in diplomatic conve tions with the Taliban in D and acknowledged that the s ation in Afghanistan had de orated faster than anticipat