Trump and some Republicans praise Taliban for criticizing Biden despite years of thorax against jihadist terrorism

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Former President Donald Trump. AP Photo / Ross D. Franklin

A few Republicans have praised the Taliban since taking power in Afghanistan this month.

Trump called them “smart” and “good fighters” and Rep. Gaetz said they were “more legitimate” than Biden.

These statements come despite years of GOP thorax about the threat of jihadist terrorism.

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Just weeks before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by Islamist terrorists, some of America’s most prominent Republicans are now praising the Taliban for possessing the libs.

Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have used the radical militant group’s takeover in Afghanistan in recent days to voice their grievances against President Joe Biden, “big tech” and Trump’s Twitter ban – even as the militants violently repressed the demonstrations against their regime and the people trying to escape.

During an appearance on Fox News host Sean Hannity’s show Tuesday night, Trump falsely claimed that the Taliban had existed for “a thousand years” (the organization was founded in 1994), and praised the group. as being “smart” and having “good fighters”. . “

Hours earlier, Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. took to Twitter to express his support for the jihadist group’s false claim that civil rights issues in Afghanistan under the Taliban are comparable to the debate over freedom of speech in the United States.

When Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was asked about free speech in Afghanistan under the militant regime, he used whataboutism – a classic Soviet propaganda tool – to deflect responsibility from the United States and the United States. technology companies.

“This question should be asked of those people who claim to be free speech promoters who do not allow the publication of full information… I can ask the Facebook company. This question should be asked of them,” said Mujahid.

Trump Jr. quoted a tweet containing Mujahid’s comments and added: “LOL … Not bad either.”

The story continues

Young Trump was probably referring to his father being banned from Facebook, Twitter and most other major social media platforms after he instigated the deadly insurgency on Capitol Hill on Jan.6. Trump Jr. and several Republican lawmakers have described the removal of the former president’s platform as a violation of free speech rights. The 1st Amendment guarantees citizens that the government cannot censor their speech.

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz also took to Twitter on Wednesday to say that “both the Taliban and Trump should be on Twitter.”

He went on to say that the brutal terrorist group is “more legitimate than the last government in Afghanistan or the current government here”.

The Taliban recently waged a brutal insurgency against the United States, its NATO allies and the United States-backed Afghan government to regain control of the country. The militant group has terrorized Afghanistan for years, often killing civilians in devastating bombings and other violent attacks. In one case earlier this month, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing targeting the acting Afghan defense minister, which left eight people dead.

The militant Islamist group previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, instituting laws based on a strict interpretation of the Quran. The Taliban enforced these laws with brutal public punishments, including executions in the Kabul football stadium. Women, in particular, had few or no rights under the Taliban and saw their lives and access to education restricted in many ways.

The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday after quickly gaining control of major cities – in many cases without too much fighting – prompting the Afghan president to flee the country.

The Taliban took a more moderate tone in their public statements this week. A Taliban spokesman said on Tuesday that no one in Afghanistan would be hurt, but within one day a protest against the Taliban regime in Jalalabad turned fatal when militants opened fire on peaceful protesters.

The Taliban spokesman said that women’s rights would be respected “within the limits of Islam”. But those assurances have ranged hollow for Afghan women, many of whom have expressed fears in recent days that the Taliban will kill them now that they have regained control.

Taliban fighters regained control of Afghanistan on Sunday. Allauddin Khan / AP

“Quite weird”

The statements by Trump and Republicans praising the terrorist group are all the more remarkable given the GOP’s years of thorax about the threat of “radical Islamic terrorism.”

In June, Republicans decided to censor Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar after falsely accusing her of equating the United States and Israel with the Taliban and Hamas. It came after Omar referred to open investigations by the International Criminal Court into potential war crimes committed by the United States, Israel, Hamas and the Taliban while questioning America’s top diplomat on the US opposition to such investigations.

With less than a month away from the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, many prominent Republicans, including the party leader, are taking a markedly different tone about the Taliban as they criticize Biden for withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan.

And yet, just days after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, some Republicans have used the conflict to accuse others of harboring anti-American sentiments.

One of the recipients of these bad faith attacks was CNN’s Clarissa Ward, who risked her safety to broadcast a series of devastating reports on the ground in Kabul and was accosted by activists.

In a report, Ward commented on how “bizarre” the Taliban’s behavior was.

After noting how some Afghans approached the fighters to take pictures, Ward said, “They’re just chanting ‘Death to America’, but they seem friendly at the same time. It’s totally weird. “

Trump Jr. and Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas immediately seized on Ward’s statement, accusing him and CNN of being anti-American.

“Is there an enemy of America that @CNN WILL NOT be a cheerleader for?” Cruz tweeted. “In obligatory burqas, nothing less.”

Trump Jr. crammed in, tweeting, “Isn’t that the same network that brought us” mostly peaceful protests? “” possibly referring to last year’s anti-racism protests that swept across the country following the murder of George Floyd.

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