US Republicans: Biden’s opponents take advantage of the chaos in Afghanistan


Status: 04.09.2021 03:39 a.m.

In the United States, President Biden’s political opponents are exploiting the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. They hardly care that they contradict themselves and that the withdrawal itself is supported by most of the Americans.

By Katrin Brand, ARD Studio Washington

Donald Trump would have done everything better. At least that is the message that Donald Trump is spreading. A few days ago, the former president sent a video to the relatives of the 13 soldiers killed in Kabul. This tragedy should never have happened and it would not have happened if he had been President, according to Trump.

He also claimed that he had the Taliban under control this week on Fox News. They would not have moved without his consent – but then Joe Biden came: “You saw weakness,” said Trump, “he did nothing, you took power and we ran out.” The image of America, “our great country”, has been destroyed.

Republicans contradict themselves

Nobody knows what Trump would have done differently. He and most of the Republicans, however, have bent visibly in the past few weeks. At first things couldn’t go fast enough for them, Trump had announced his complete withdrawal of troops by May 1st. And when Biden moved the date to September, it was interpreted as a weakness. But now it is said that the Americans left hastily.

The Taliban, in turn, were such a reliable partner for Trump that he negotiated an agreement with them on the withdrawal of troops. Now it is said that trusting the Taliban is naive. What is supposed to whitewash all these contradictions is the one message: Biden is responsible, Biden screwed it up, in every respect. The Republicans accuse him of leaving 100 to 200 Americans in Afghanistan, as the Republicans accusingly put it.

A message: Biden is to blame

“How are each and every one of them supposed to be brought home safely,” asked Kevin McCarthy, the head of the Republicans in the House of Representatives this week. The Republicans say that Biden is also responsible for the expensive equipment left behind, the helicopters and the weapons. And Biden was to blame if the US had brought Islamist terror back home. More than 120,000 people were flown out of Afghanistan, and very few are Americans, McCarthy said.

You have to check them out before people come to the US, he said. 5,000 Taliban fighters have just been released from prisons in Afghanistan, as part of the agreement with the United States. Now it is said that some may have mixed with the refugees. A concern fueled by celebrity presenters at Fox News.

On the other hand, many Republicans, especially veterans, have emphasized the importance of saving employees and allies. The mood towards Afghans seems to be turning, a new survey by Yahoo News shows. Approval to accept Afghans in the US has recently fallen, it is said there, especially among supporters of the Republicans. Even if the troop withdrawal slowly gets out of focus: The Republicans have enough material to drive Joe Biden in front of them in the next few months.



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