Afghanistan crisis

To the Editor:

The decision to leave Afghanistan was a good one and could never be easy, but the exit strategy embarked by the Biden administration was badly flawed. With full knowledge that the Taliban would take over that region, our decision to remove our military and abandon our airbases before we secured our Americans living there, our Afghan interpreters and our weapons was disastrous. We handed billions of dollars of weapons including armored Humvees, rifles, rocket launchers, and even Blackhawk helicopters to the Taliban.

The Taliban was violating the agreement made with the Afghan government and Donald Trump by taking control of territories all over the country. Biden not only ignored those violations, but encouraged the Taliban by beginning early withdrawal of our armed forces. Biden was so enamored with the idea that he be remembered as the president who left Afghanistan before 9/11 that he chose to go against the advice of nearly everyone and proceed with a hurried and chaotic withdrawal. And chaotic it is.

The result is that many Americans and those who helped America will be trapped behind enemy lines with no embassy and no U.S. military to help them get home. And because the Afghan government collapsed and because our NATO allies have no choice but to leave, those who helped America, and the women and children of Afghanistan are going to suffer under Sharia law imposed by the Taliban. People are dying and more will die.

Another disastrous result is that America is much weaker on the world stage, and our adversaries are stronger and more emboldened than ever. Our Democratic House of Representatives impeached Donald Trump over a phone call. No one died, and our country was not embarrassed. How is Biden not being impeached? He should resign. Jim Costello

Sonora