Viral video of Taliban executing 22 Afghan commandos as they surrendered ignites further criticism of Biden’s withdrawal

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Officers and soldiers from the Afghan Special Forces Commando Unit attended a graduation ceremony at the military academy in Kabul, Afghanistan on May 31. Haroon Sabawoon / Getty Images

Twenty-two Afghan commandos were reportedly massacred by the Taliban as they surrendered in June.

CNN has obtained video of the brutal incident, which raises more concerns about the future of Afghanistan.

“It’s horrible, yet this is the reality of the announcement of the US withdrawal,” tweeted Representative Kinzinger.

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Video obtained by CNN of the Taliban executing 22 Afghan commandos as they surrendered has heightened criticism over the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan ordered by President Joe Biden.

The massacre, which human rights groups have described as an apparent war crime, adds to the many questions being asked about the Afghan military’s ability to defeat or even contain the Taliban now that the United States is withdrawing. withdraw.

Responding to the news of the executed Afghan commandos, GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger, a US Air Force veteran who has flown missions in Afghanistan, tweeted: “It’s horrible, yet it’s the reality to announce the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan. leaving the Afghan people without support is a serious mistake, Mr. President. “

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday called Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan a “global embarrassment.”

The incident took place on June 16 in the town of Dawlat Abad in the province of Faryab, near the Afghan border with Turkmenistan. The Taliban dismissed the video as a fabrication. But the Red Cross confirmed that 22 bodies had been recovered, and CNN spoke with witnesses and checked videos of the incident.

The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan – expected to be completed by the end of August – marks the end of the longest conflict in US history. But the US withdrawal does not mean the end of the violent conflict in Afghanistan, which has seen constant fighting for about four decades. The Taliban said last week they had captured 85% of the country, and with the emergence of regional militias across Afghanistan, there are fears the war could escalate after the US leaves. .

The story continues

“Civil war is certainly a path that can be visualized if it continues on the course it is on,” Gen. Austin S. Miller, who resigned as US commander-in-chief in Afghanistan, said on Monday. .

Biden announced the troop withdrawal plan in April and has fiercely defended the move amid growing concerns about the future of Afghanistan with the US departure nearly complete. Supporters of Biden’s withdrawal argue the withdrawal was long overdue, arguing that the costs of staying in Afghanistan far outweigh the benefits.

“Let me ask those who wanted us to stay: How many more – how many thousands of American daughters and sons are you willing to risk?” How long would you let them stay? Biden said in a speech last Thursday.

But critics have called the withdrawal a hasty retreat that endangers local populations – especially women – and effectively hands the country over to the Taliban.

Biden rejected the idea that it is “inevitable” that the Taliban will regain full control of Afghanistan. “I trust the capacity of the Afghan army, which is better trained, better equipped and more competent in terms of warfare,” the president said on Thursday.

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