McConnell calls on Biden to change course in Afghanistan before it's too late
'Al Qaeda and the Taliban may celebrate the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks by burning down our embassy'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged President Joe Biden to reverse course in Afghanistan as the security situation in the country quickly deteriorates.
"Unless President Biden adjusts course quickly, the Taliban is on track to secure a significant military victory," McConnell said in a statement Thursday. "The latest news of a further drawdown at our Embassy and a hasty deployment of military forces seem like preparations for the fall of Kabul. President Biden’s decisions have us hurtling toward an even worse sequel to the humiliating fall of Saigon in 1975."
The statement comes as the Taliban has advanced to take control of large swaths of Afghanistan, closing in on the capital of Kabul as U.S. forces near completing their withdrawal from the country.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Biden administration has pleaded with the Taliban not to attack the U.S. Embassy in Kabul if they do overtake the city and has now resorted to sending roughly 3,000 troops back into the country in an attempt to provide security for Americans fleeing Kabul.
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"The Biden Administration has reduced U.S. officials to pleading with Islamic extremists to spare our Embassy as they prepare to overrun Kabul," McConnell said. "Absurdly, naively, our government is arguing that bloodshed might hurt the Taliban’s international reputation, as if radical terrorists are anxious about their P.R."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Instead of continuing the withdrawal of U.S. forces, McConnell argued that Biden should "should immediately commit to providing more support to Afghan forces, starting with close air support beyond August 31st."
"Without it, al Qaeda and the Taliban may celebrate the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks by burning down our Embassy in Kabul," McConnell continued.
The Kentucky Republican also warned that a Taliban take over of Afghanistan would "resonate throughout the global jihadist movement," comparing the situation to the Islamic State takeover of Iraq and Syria that unleashed a "wave of global terrorism."
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"President Biden’s strategy has turned an imperfect but stable situation into a major embarrassment and a global emergency in a matter of weeks," McConnel concluded. "President Biden is finding that the quickest way to end a war is to lose it. The costs and ramifications will echo across the world."