Why do people think the Biden Admin. was bound by the Trump Admin. agreement to withdraw from Afghanistan?

[iguanaman]

Probably not as many as who will die because Biden left them to fend for themselves.

You don't know any such thing. Staying there even another day would be leaving us vulnerable to more and more terrorist attacks. Many of the American still there are there because they wanted to stay or would not leave unless every Afghan in their extended families were also included. There are limits to our hospitality.

 

[Dayton3]

Because Trump was but a representative of The United States of America. It was the USA that entered into the agreement. Duh.

Look how Trump undermined our country by pulling out of agreements.

Some agreements should never have been made.

 

[iguanaman]

Some agreements should never have been made.

As bad as that agreement was. It actually ended up saving 1000's of Afghan lives. They realized that the Taliban was the only group that even wanted the job of governing after we left. That is how corrupt their Govt. was, they didn't even want the job if we did not pay them handsomely and do the fighting for them.

 

[Mycroft]

You don't know any such thing. Staying there even another day would be leaving us vulnerable to more and more terrorist attacks. Many of the American still there are there because they wanted to stay or would not leave unless every Afghan in their extended families were also included. There are limits to our hospitality.

Right..."limits".

Do you think we should let THESE 600 fend for themselves? Is that over your "limits"?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/31/us-government-left-its-own-journalists-behind-afghanistan/?variant=45bcfc8a951d56c3

 

[iguanaman]

Right..."limits".

Do you think we should let THESE 600 fend for themselves? Is that over your "limits"?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/31/us-government-left-its-own-journalists-behind-afghanistan/?variant=45bcfc8a951d56c3

Those are not Americans are they? Why didn't the one term mistake give them all visas? Maybe it was because he didn't want a single Afghan coming here. Biden got out over 120,000 of them. That is not a small number.

Trump Administration Has Drastically Dropped Visas For Afghan And Iraqi Interpreters​

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/01/718927688/no-visas-for-afghan-and-iraqi-interpreters

 

[NatMorton]

That "chaotic" withdrawal was caused by the collapse of the Afghan Govt and army. You fail to mention what you would have done. There were no good options. You seem to think that this was Biden's idea. He dealt with the realities on the ground not some pie in the sky idea of what a "good" withdrawal would be.

Actually, that's the point. He didn't deal (well) with the realities on the ground. And please tell me why the last troops left Afghanistan before the last American citizens did.

 

[Oozlefinch]

What part of "our troop strength was drawn down to below 3,000 military personnel BEFORE Biden took office" do you not understand?

What part of "Going back when they started their active attacks in February" do you not understand?

Yes, they were low, because the Taliban at that time were following the agreement for the most part.

When they stopped following it and started violating it, we should have ramped that back up again in response. People keep acting like what came in Julyt was a "surprise". Hell, they had been doing that all year, it should have been stopped at the start.

 

[iguanaman]

Actually, that's the point. He didn't deal (well) with the realities on the ground. And please tell me why the last troops left Afghanistan before the last American citizens did.

Again you fail to explain any alternatives to what Biden did. Is that because you don't know? Or is it because the alternatives would have left us there for a indeterminate time yet again? Biden got out 6000 Americans in the last week and the few that remain are not worth risking another terrorist attack that could kill more than the number of Americans that are still there. Are you not aware of something called "risk assessments"? Somehow I think you are disappointed that Biden pulled it off as well as he did. I think you know that once the dust settles it will be a big win for him.

 

[Jredbaron96]

Just stop. Your implied assertion that there was no more that could be done than what was done is gibberish. That was a botched withdrawal and it wouldn’t harm you to acknowledge that.

Its not that *nothing* could be done. The point is your asinine implications that the solutions were something as simple as "bomb them" or "send more troops".

 

[Trippy Trekker]

Notice the tendency not to follow the conversation and understand who actually said what?

Wrong iLol

I don’t think likening roguenuke to either of those folks is constructive.

Wrong again iLoL

We (or at least I) are not discussing Trump. This thread is about Biden’s actions and his accountability. If you want to express your dislike for Biden’s predecessor, I suggest you start your own special thread and stop trying to jack this one.

@Dayton3 started this thread. I suggest unless and/or until you become a moderator, you stop trying to moderate.

You really haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about. For example, I didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 and I voted for Biden in 2020.

Presume less. Think more.

Did your vote for Biden in a state already beholden to Biden reflect a genuine, underlying hope Biden would win the General Election and become POTUS?

 

[Oozlefinch]

and the few that remain are not worth risking another terrorist attack

In other words, to hell with them.

THis is what I mean about an amazing number of people now. Unless it directly affects them, they largely do not care.

 

[Objective Voice]

We (or at least I) are not discussing Trump. This thread is about Biden’s actions and his accountability. If you want to express your dislike for Biden’s predecessor, I suggest you start your own special thread and stop trying to jack this one.

Nice deflection. Surely you know sarcasm when you read it?

You're right. The tread topic isn't about Trump. However, since you claimed we shouldn't be afraid of the Taliban, I thought it necessary to point out who negotiated peace with them.

 

[Objective Voice]

What part of "Going back when they started their active attacks in February" do you not understand?

Yes, they were low, because the Taliban at that time were following the agreement for the most part.

When they stopped following it and started violating it, we should have ramped that back up again in response. People keep acting like what came in Julyt was a "surprise". Hell, they had been doing that all year, it should have been stopped at the start.

So, we were suppose to just put troop back in Afghanistan with no additional support. Our allies are gone. The Afghan Army is shaky. The worse of the Taliban have already been released.

How many US military forces should have returned? A thousand? Two thousands? Ten thousand? How many only to pull them once again by the extended deadline? The Taliban wasn't going to allow that nor were they going to allow us to stay past the extended deadline.

 

[NatMorton]

Its not that *nothing* could be done. The point is your asinine implications that the solutions were something as simple as "bomb them" or "send more troops".

It was the Biden administration's withdrawal plan that was asinine, and there's no getting around that reality.

 

[NatMorton]

Wrong iLol

Wrong again iLoL

@Dayton3 started this thread. I suggest unless and/or until you become a moderator, you stop trying to moderate.

Did your vote for Biden in a state already beholden to Biden reflect a genuine, underlying hope Biden would win the General Election and become POTUS?

Not a Trump thread.

 

[NatMorton]

Nice deflection. Surely you know sarcasm when you read it?

You're right. The tread topic isn't about Trump. However, since you claimed we shouldn't be afraid of the Taliban, I thought it necessary to point out who negotiated peace with them.

I'm pointing out who's accountable for the botched withdrawal; it's Joe Biden.

 

[ttwtt78640]

I'm sure it would have worked much better in May.

Why didn't trump start the evacuation during his own administration? I wonder.

Because there was never a power sharing agreement reached with the Ghani government. I’m sure that any such agreement would have to include allowing continued US training and air support for the ANSF.

 

[Objective Voice]

I'm pointing out who's accountable for the botched withdrawal; it's Joe Biden.

Over 100,000 men, women and children in addition to our military safely airlifted out of Afghanistan...

Except for the 13 who died and the 100+ who either decided to stay or didn't get the memo, I'd say the withdrawal was a success. The reason yourself and others consider it a failure is because in the final 2-weeks of the endeavor 13 U.S. soldiers lost their lives to a ISIS-K suicide bomber. Had that never happened, we wouldn't be talking about this.

 

[NatMorton]

It's a fair question. Why didn't Trump prevent Joe Biden from screwing up the withdrawal?

 

[NatMorton]

Over 100,000 men, women and children in addition to our military safely airlifted out of Afghanistan...

Except for the 13 who died and the 100+ who either decided to stay or didn't get the memo, I'd say the withdrawal was a success. The reason yourself and others consider it a failure is because in the final 2-weeks of the endeavor 13 U.S. soldiers lost their lives to a ISIS-K suicide bomber. Had that never happened, we wouldn't be talking about this.

That we outsourced guarding the airport gates to the Taliban is evidence of how grossly unprepared the Biden administration was for this endeavor.

 

[NatMorton]

Biden vows to evacuate all Americans — and Afghan helpers

President Joe Biden is pledging firmly to bring all Americans home from Afghanistan — and all Afghans who aided the war effort, too.

apnews.com

 

[Oozlefinch]

How many US military forces should have returned? A thousand? Two thousands? Ten thousand? How many only to pull them once again by the extended deadline? The Taliban wasn't going to allow that nor were they going to allow us to stay past the extended deadline.

"Going to allow us"?

They violated the peace agreement, at that point to me it is largely "You reap what you sow". How many returned? As many as was needed.

And no "Extended deadline". The violated the peace agreement, you bomb them until they return to the negotiation table. If it takes another decade, so be it. Another decade to get the current government into a more stable position.

As far as I am concerned, that entire "peace agreement" was done by February, when the Taliban stopped all communications with the Afghan government, and started massively stepping up their attacks. All that existed after that was simply the US leadership wanting to pull us out as fast as possible, damn the consequences.

 

[NatMorton]

didn't get the memo

Let's all consider for a moment just how cavalier this turn of phrase is when applied to those left behind to face the Taliban ... alone.

 

[Lutherf]

I keep seeing it implied (and stated by Biden himself) that the U.S. and Biden Admin. had to continue with the U.S. withdrawal because of the agreement Trump had made last year to withdraw.

Why?

1) President Joe Biden has spent months changing Trump policies, why couldn't he change regarding U.S.withdrawal from Afghanistan?
2) Some will say that "The American voters wanted the U.S. to withdraw".

So? Americans always want to end our
involvement overseas somewhere. It is an IAO (Instinctive American Opinion). If you polled the American people and ask them if the U.S. should withdraw from Cardassia you would probably get a majority supporting that.

Beyond that, can anyone honestly say that there has been a massive grassroots movement in the U.S. for us to withdraw from Afghanistan? Of course not, It was a non issue in the last election.

So why do people want to claim the Biden Admin. was in any way obligated to go along with the agreements Trump had made?

Because after 2016 the Democrats has TWO answers for every problem whereas prior to that they only had one excuse.

Answer #1 to any problem is "money". Answer #2 is "Trump". These two answers can fix any problem and, as luck would have it, they are easy for even the most senile Democrats to remember.

 

[NatMorton]

"Going to allow us"?

They violated the peace agreement, at that point to me it is largely "You reap what you sow". How many returned? As many as was needed.

And no "Extended deadline". The violated the peace agreement, you bomb them until they return to the negotiation table. If it takes another decade, so be it. Another decade to get the current government into a more stable position.

As far as I am concerned, that entire "peace agreement" was done by February, when the Taliban stopped all communications with the Afghan government, and started massively stepping up their attacks. All that existed after that was simply the US leadership wanting to pull us out as fast as possible, damn the consequences.

Shhhh. The Taliban are our friends now.