Withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Kenneth McKenzie

Inserted 2 years ago

“The signing of the Doha agreement had a really pernicious effect on the government of Afghanistan and on its military - psychological more than anything else, but we set a date - certain for when we were going to leave and when they could expect all assistance to end.”

Aljazeera

Chief of U.S. Central Command

29 Sep 2021 3 3

Lloyd Austin

Inserted 2 years ago

“We need to consider some uncomfortable truths that we didn't fully comprehend.”

Aljazeera

US Secretary of Defense

28 Sep 2021 1 3

Mark Milley

Inserted 2 years ago

“It is clear and obvious that the war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms we wanted with the Taliban now in power in Kabul. My analysis was that an accelerated withdrawal, without meeting specific and necessary conditions, risks losing the substantial gains made in Afghanistan, damaging US worldwide credibility and could precipitate a general collapse of the NSF and the Afghan government, resulting in a complete Taliban takeover, or general civil war.”

Aljazeera

US Army general and the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

28 Sep 2021 5 4

Lisa Curtis

Inserted 2 years ago

“The Biden administration had an opportunity to withdraw from the agreement. They could have reevaluated it and renegotiated it and taken a different path on Afghanistan. But the Biden administration chose to stick with it. So, yeah. This is why we are where we are now. Now, it is also true that the pullout was extremely abrupt. We pulled out 16,000 contractors all at once. These are contractors that helped maintain the equipment for the Afghans. They helped keep air assets in the air. So, we literally pulled the rug out from under the Afghans. And we sort of played into the Taliban strategy.”

Cnn

Top White House adviser on Afghanistan in the Trump administration

19 Aug 2021 3 2

John Bolton

Inserted 2 years ago

“This Trump-Biden withdrawal is a big mistake. Beijing and Moscow they are laughing. Tehran and Pyongyang have seen that the Administration is credulous when it comes to claims by devoted adversaries of the United States. It makes us look like we're suckers.”

Twitter

Former US National Security Advisor from 2018 to 2019

16 Aug 2021 7 7

Joe Biden

Inserted 2 years ago

“We gave them every tool they could need. We paid their salaries. Provided for the maintenance of their airplanes. We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide was the will to fight for that future. There was only the cold reality. Of either following through on the agreement to withdraw our forces, or escalating the conflict and sending thousands more American troops back into combat in Afghanistan, and lurching into the third decade of conflict. I stand squarely behind my decision. Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. If anything, the developments of the past week reinforce that ending us military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision.”

Nytimes

President of the United States

16 Aug 2021 2 3

Wang Jin

Inserted 2 years ago

“All the uncertainties surrounding the future of Afghanistan and regional and global affairs, as well as the current chaos in Afghanistan and the fears and worries of the Afghan people, are attributed to the US, which is leaving Afghanistan in an irresponsible manner. Although Biden claimed that it is the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide how they want to run their country, it cannot hide the US' responsibility for the turmoil in Afghanistan.”

Globaltimes

Associate professor at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies, Northwest University

16 Aug 2021 4 4

Joe Biden

Inserted 2 years ago

“When I came to office, I inherited a deal cut by my predecessor-which he invited the Taliban to discuss at Camp David on the eve of 9/11 of 2019-that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021 deadline on U.S. Forces. Shortly before he left office, he also drew U.S. Forces down to a bare minimum of 2,500. Therefore, when I became President, I faced a choice-follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our Forces and our allies' Forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country's civil conflict. I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan-two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.”

Whitehouse

President of the United States

14 Aug 2021 5 2

Joe Biden

Inserted 2 years ago

“None whatsoever. Zero. What you had is - you had entire brigades breaking through the gates of our embassy - six, if I'm not mistaken. The Taliban is not the south - the North Vietnamese army. They're not - they're not remotely comparable in terms of capability. There's going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of a embassy in the - of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable.”

Whitehouse

President of the United States

08 Jul 2021 3 2

Mir Asadullah Kohistani

Inserted 2 years ago

“We [heard] some rumour that the Americans had left Bagram … and finally by 7:00 in the morning, we understood that it was confirmed that they had already left Bagram.”

Aljazeera

General and new commander of the Bagram airfield

05 Jul 2021 3 3

Faiz Zaland

Inserted 2 years ago

“The pulling out of US troops is a bit hasty in the current situation because we don't have peace on the ground. The withdrawal is happening right at a time when the Taliban is at the door of Kabul. There are severe and harsh fights going on all over the country. More than 80 districts have fallen into the hands of the Taliban in the past one month. It does seem likely that the country might be heading towards a civil war.”

Aljazeera

Political commentator and professor at Kabul University

02 Jul 2021 4 4

Scott Miller

Inserted 3 years ago

“I've had the opportunity to talk to Taliban members with the Taliban Political Commission, and I've told them a return to violence, an effort to force a military decision, would be a tragedy for Afghanistan and the Afghan people.”

Reuters

U.S. Army General

25 Apr 2021 4 1

Peter Ricketts

Inserted 3 years ago

“It would be a real pity if we are pulling the plug on our training work. Frankly, it would make a mockery of all resources and effort we have put in.”

Politico

Former U.K. national security adviser

16 Apr 2021 1 3

William Burns

Inserted 2 years ago

“When the time comes for the U.S. military to withdraw [from Afghanistan], the U.S. government's ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That's simply a fact.”

Reuters

CIA Director

14 Apr 2021 2 2

Ashraf Ghani

Inserted 3 years ago

“Tonight, I had a call with President Biden in which we discussed the U.S. decision to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by early September. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan respects the U.S. decision and we will work with our U.S. partners to ensure a smooth transition. As we move into the next phase in our partnership, we will continue to work with our US/NATO partners in the ongoing peace efforts. Afghanistan's proud security and defense forces are fully capable of defending its people and country, which they have been doing all along, and for which the Afghan nation will forever remain grateful.”

Twitter

President of Afghanistan

14 Apr 2021 5 4

Joe Biden

Inserted 3 years ago

“It is time to end America's longest war. We went to Afghanistan because of a horrific attack that happened 20 years ago. That cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021. I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth.”

Aljazeera

President of the United States

14 Apr 2021 1 2

Lindsey Graham

Inserted 3 years ago

“A full withdrawal from Afghanistan is dumber than dirt and devilishly dangerous. President Biden will have, in essence, cancelled an insurance policy against another 9/11. A residual counterterrorism force would be an insurance policy against the rise of radical Islam in Afghanistan that could pave the way for another attack against our homeland or our allies. I find it ironic that, given the sacrifices we've made to move Afghanistan forward, prevent another 9/11, and ensure the enduring defeat of al Qaeda and ISIS, that on the 20th anniversary of the attack we're paving the way for another attack.”

Thehill

Senator from South Carolina and member of the Republican Party

13 Apr 2021 5 2

Zabihullah Mujahid

Inserted 3 years ago

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan seeks the withdrawal of all foreign forces from our homeland on the date specified in the Doha Agreement [May 1]. If the agreement is breached and foreign forces fail to exit the country on the specified date, problems will certainly be compounded and those who failed to comply with the agreement will be held responsible.”

Aljazeera

Taliban spokesman

13 Apr 2021 4 4

Mitch McConnell

Inserted 3 years ago

“Foreign terrorists will not leave the U.S. alone simply because our politicians have grown tired of taking the fight to them. The President needs to explain to the American people how abandoning our partners and retreating in the face of the Taliban will make America safer.”

Twitter

US Senate Republican Leader

13 Apr 2021 2 3

Jen Psaki

Inserted 3 years ago

“The president's approach and his decision that he made was done through close consultation with military leaders, with his national security team, with partners and allies around the world, and with his objective in mind of ensuring we are focusing on the threats we're facing, we're doing that in close coordination with our partners and allies.”

Aljazeera

White House spokeswoman

13 Apr 2021 1 2

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“The signing of the Doha agreement had a really pernicious effect on the government of Afghanistan and on its military - psychological more than anything else, but we set a date - certain for when we were going to leave and when they could expect all assistance to end.”

“We need to consider some uncomfortable truths that we didn't fully comprehend.”

“This Trump-Biden withdrawal is a big mistake. Beijing and Moscow they are laughing. Tehran and Pyongyang have seen that the Administration is credulous when it comes to claims by devoted adversaries of the United States. It makes us look like we're suckers.”

“We [heard] some rumour that the Americans had left Bagram … and finally by 7:00 in the morning, we understood that it was confirmed that they had already left Bagram.”

“I've had the opportunity to talk to Taliban members with the Taliban Political Commission, and I've told them a return to violence, an effort to force a military decision, would be a tragedy for Afghanistan and the Afghan people.”

“It would be a real pity if we are pulling the plug on our training work. Frankly, it would make a mockery of all resources and effort we have put in.”

“When the time comes for the U.S. military to withdraw [from Afghanistan], the U.S. government's ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That's simply a fact.”

“Foreign terrorists will not leave the U.S. alone simply because our politicians have grown tired of taking the fight to them. The President needs to explain to the American people how abandoning our partners and retreating in the face of the Taliban will make America safer.”

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