Former US president Donald Trump on Thursday said the withdrawal of US-led international forces from Afghanistan should be based on conditions on the ground and, joining growing criticism of President Joe Biden’s handling of the situation, said what is going on is “not acceptable”.
“If I were now President, the world would find that our withdrawal from Afghanistan would be a conditions-based,” Trump said. “I personally had discussions with top Taliban leaders whereby they understood what they are doing now would not have been acceptable,” Trump added, referring to negotiations that led to the signing of the accord with the Taliban in February 2020.
President Biden, it must be noted, is implementing that same deal although he has publicly expressed reservations with it, saying it’s not something he would have negotiated.
He only changed the exit date, from May end to August end, to be wrapped up by September 11, the 20th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks that brought the US to Afghanistan.
“It would have been a much different and much more successful withdrawal, and the Taliban understood that better than anyone,” Trump said further in a statement. “What is going on now is not acceptable. It should have been done much better.”
President Biden has come under growing criticism at home and abroad for the summary withdrawal of US-led international troops that have continued at a rapid pace despite military advances made by the Taliban, who are now in control of ten provincial capitals, raising fears of the return of the barbaric regime that they led from 1996 to 2001, when they were overthrown by the US-led forces and Afghanistan militias.
US officials estimate Kabul to fall to the Taliban in a month or two, according to news reports. And the Biden administration appears to have been surprised by the speed of the Taliban’s progress.
Biden has defended his decision and ruled out any changes in the pullout plan. “Afghan leaders have to come together,” he said on Tuesday. “They’ve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation.”
He added: “I do not regret my decision.”
The Taliban’s military advances have caused international concern and the UN Security Council (UNSC) has condemned the violence and reaffirmed its opposition to the restoration of the Islamic emirate.
India, which has the rotational presidency of the UNSC for August, told the body at a briefing on Afghanistan last Friday that “(it’s) time for the international community and, in particular, this council to take stock of the situation, and decide on actions that would help bring a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and ensure an immediate cessation of violence”.
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