Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was on Tuesday critical of US President Joe Bidens decision to withdraw U.S. forces in Afghanistan by September 11 and warned that this decision is not underpinned by a clear plan to mitigate the risks once troops have withdrawn.
Addressing the U.S. Senate, McConnell said Bidens decision was "dangerous, wishful thinking".
He said the decision "is not underpinned by a coherent plan to mitigate the geopolitical and humanitarian risk that our departure will create."
"When we are gone, after we leave, theres every reason to believe al-Qaeda will regroup in its historic safe haven.
"Giving up the high ground while the enemy is still on the battlefield is not a strategic move. Neither is banking on conducting so-called over the horizon counterterrorism missions without presence on the ground," he said.
McConnell said the U.S. had learned that in order to fight terrorists, it was important to have reliable access and local partnerships.
He said the U.S. military currently flies both reconnaissance and strike missions against terrorists from within Afghanistan - adding that the country is not easy to get to as the neighboring countries are Iran, Pakistan and Russian-influenced Central Asian nations.
"They arent exactly likely to let the U.S. base significant counterterrorism units in their country. So where will we be basing these forces? How will we maintain sorties from thousands of miles away?," he asked.
He also said: "How many forces will be required to secure our embassy if a pro-Taliban mob threatens to overrun it. What will we do to protect it? Where will a quick reaction force be based if not in Afghanistan?"
McConnell said Washington had learned about the "tyranny of distance" from the 2012 Benghazi attack against two United States government facilities in Libya , which claimed the lives of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and another diplomat.
"If the Taliban takes Kabul, will the Biden administration recognize it as the legitimate government of Afghanistan?," he asked, adding "will we shutter our embassy and our aid programs?"
The reality, he said, was "they dont know. They cant say. Theres no plan."
He went on to state that the U.S. was in fact "abandoning" Afghanistan.
"Its not courageous to abandon our allies," he said.
"The horrific, horrific reports of the Taliban beginning to reimpose their version of Sharia Law are just a taste of the catastrophes facing our friends in Afghanistan who have borne the brunt of the fight.
"Human rights, womens rights, counterterrorism, refugee flows - as far as I can tell, the administration has no plan," he said.
He stated the world "will see it for what it is - retreating from the fight; abandoning our partners.
"This is the presidents decision. He chose a precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Unbelievably, he even chose the anniversary of September 11 as the deadline."
In conclusion, McConnell said he hopes once Bidens team has confronted the president with the risks, he hopes "the president will think again and reconsider".
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/22530
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