Kinzinger says ‘a lot of people’ are to blame for Afghan withdrawal missteps

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Washington – Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, said on Sunday that many people are to be blamed for the Biden administration’s handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was marked by images of Desperate Afghans running to board moving military planes and dozens of people descending on Kabul’s main airport after the Taliban regained control of the country.

“I think there are a lot of people to blame and the Secretary of State is one of them, and I think that would be nice – and keep in mind, even under the former president, I would say exactly that thing – for some people in This is what the American people want is for someone to stand up and say, ‘Look, this is mine,’ “Kinzinger said in an interview on “Face the Nation”, referring to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken is scheduled to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which will be the first time lawmakers will have an opportunity to question the secretary of state about the plan to the Biden administration to withdraw US troops from the country and evacuate the Americans.

Kinzinger is a member of the House panel that will hear from Blinken, and said in the Secretary of State’s case, an order to withdraw all Americans from Afghanistan should have come when the Afghan army began to collapse in the face of threats from the Taliban.

“When we started to see it crumble, that’s when the order should have been given to basically go into a defensive posture and get everyone out possible and not have to. wait three days before because a lot of us were watching it happen. We were talking about it and it’s like it hadn’t come as a surprise to a lot of us, “he said.

Kinzinger said he was opposed to the “armchair quarter,” but said there were many people well versed in military strategy and policy who could have ensured a smoother withdrawal while s ‘by taking the decision to leave the country.

“There were a few key points. We are still talking about Bagram Air Base. We could have defended that until every American came out and every Afghan SIV came out,” he said. “Second, let’s say we always closed that air base and we were at this last week before the complete collapse of the Afghan government, that’s when those 6,000 Marines and soldiers who rushed in in Kabul airport could have actually gone out and defended Kabul proper, the city, because the Taliban at that time had no interest in entering the city yet. And we could have had the evacuation. in our schedule as quickly as possible.

Now that the United States no longer has a military presence in Afghanistan, Kinzinger said he has yet to hear of a strategy from the Biden administration to counter the threat of Al Qaeda, which , according to the intelligence community, could recover in as little as 12 months.

“I haven’t heard anything other than this nebula strike ability on the horizon,” he said.

Kinzinger also discussed a rally scheduled for September 18 to protest the dozens of people who have been indicted for their alleged roles in the January 6 assault on the United States Capitol, which far-right groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers are expected to attend. .

The Illinois Republican has confirmed fencing is expected to return to Capitol grounds ahead of the event, and he expects to be briefed on the safety of the rally this week.

“Everyone obviously has the right to protest and no one would dispute that. different, but they are “children of the same foul spirit.” And they’re basically trying to divide people who are different from them, ”Kinzinger said. “That’s why it’s important that we as Republicans, frankly, and as Americans stand up and say that we shouldn’t be at this point where we’re really worried about the seat of government every day. a few months when there is a demonstration. So I hope everything goes well. I have a lot of confidence in our law enforcement and I hope we will know more this week. “

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