Trump accuses Biden of not “following plan” left by administrator on Afghanistan

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President Biden on Saturday doubled down on his long-held justification for the withdrawal of the US military from Afghanistan as the threat of Kabul falling to the Taliban looms.

Leading the news: Biden blamed his predecessor, former President Trump, for empowering the Taliban and leaving them “in the strongest position militarily since 2001”. Trump responded with a statement accusing Biden of the unfolding situation in Afghanistan.

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Biden said in a statement that he had to make a choice and that he would not pass the war on to a “fifth” US president.

“When I became president, I had the choice to follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and allies out safely, or to increase our presence and send more American troops to fight in again in another country’s civil conflict, “Biden said.

“One more year, or five more years, of US military presence would have made no difference if the Afghan army could not or did not want to hold its own country,” Biden added. “And an endless American presence in the midst of another country’s civil conflict was not acceptable to me.”

What he says: Trump said in an emailed statement hours after Biden’s comments that his successor “left Afghanistan instead of following the plan our administration left him.” He did not give further details on the details of this plan.

“What a shame it will be when the Taliban raise their flag above the Embassy of the Americas in Kabul,” Trump said. “It is a complete failure by weakness, incompetence and total strategic inconsistency.”

Flashback: Trump said in April that Biden’s decision to withdraw his troops from Afghanistan was “a wonderful and positive thing to do,” but criticized the timeline and said the United States “should get out sooner.”

The story continues

By the Numbers: Biden announced on Saturday that some 5,000 additional U.S. troops would be deployed to assist with the withdrawal of U.S. personnel and other allies during the evacuation of the region.

Of these, 3,000 have already been announced, 1,000 were already in Kabul and 1,000 more troops will arrive from the 82nd Airborne Division directly to Kabul, according to ABC.

Big picture: Biden’s remarks come as the Taliban offensives show no signs of slowing down and the threat of insurgents toppling the Afghan government and isolating Kabul mounts.

Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, the country’s second largest province, fell to the Taliban on Saturday.

Jalalabad and Kabul are now the only major cities still under government control, and officials fear Jalalabad could fall within hours.

Note: Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and President of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah on Saturday.

Ghani gave a speech earlier on Saturday in which he gave no indication he would step down.

Blinken spokesman Ned Price said in an emailed statement that the Secretary of State stressed to Abdullah “the United States’ commitment to building a strong relationship with the Afghan government and our continued support. to the Afghan people “.

Go further: behind the scenes of the Biden administration as the US abandons Kabul

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with comments from Trump and Price.

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