Blinken hearing: Republican shows photos of dead marines and accuses secretary of state of treason
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was grilled by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, which saw tens of thousands of people evacuated from the country in short order as it fell to the Taliban at unexpected speed.
The president and his aides have blamed the now-collapsed Afghan government and army for giving in to the Taliban as it marched across the country, but critics on both sides of the aisle accuse the administration of “giving up” on the Afghan people and Americans working on the ground there, as well as Afghan translators and workers who helped the US in its two-decade mission. They now face violent reprisal from the Taliban, which is already committing human rights abuses and radically curtailing women’s freedoms in particular.
The US this weekend marked the two-decade anniversary of 9/11, the event that precipitated the Afghan invasion – and which Joe Biden set as his deadline for pulling all US troops out.
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Blinken again cites military assessment to defend intelligence failure
Mr Blinken said the “emergency evacuation was sparked by the collapse of the Afghan security forces and government” during his opening statement.
“Throughout the year, we were constantly assessing their staying power and considering multiple scenarios. Even the most pessimistic assessments did not predict that government forces in Kabul would collapse while U.S. forces remained.
“As General Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said, ‘Nothing I or anyone else saw indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days.’
“Nonetheless, we planned and exercised a wide range of contingencies. Because of that planning, we were able to draw down our embassy and move our remaining personnel to the airport within 48 hours. And the military – placed on standby by the President – was able to secure the airport and start the evacuation within 72 hours,” Mr Blinken added.
You can read the entire opening statement here.
Blinken says Taliban would recommence attacks on US if they stayed past deadline
Blinken hails evacuation effort
“The evacuation was an extraordinary effort – under the most difficult conditions imaginable – by our diplomats, military, and intelligence professionals,” Mr Blinken said in his opening statement.
“They worked around the clock to get American citizens, Afghans who helped us, citizens of our Allies and partners, and at-risk Afghans on planes, out of the country, and off to the United States or transit locations that our diplomats arranged in multiple countries.
“Our consular team worked 24-7 to reach out to Americans who could still be in the country, making 55,000 phone calls and sending 33,000 emails by August 31 – and they’re still at it. In the midst of this heroic effort, an ISIS-K attack killed 13 service members working the gates at HKIA, wounded 20 others, and killed and wounded scores of Afghans. In the end, we completed one of the biggest airlifts in history, with 124,000 people evacuated to safety,” he added.
You can read the entire opening statement here.
Blinken says Taliban is committed to preventing terror groups from using country as base
“The Taliban has committed to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base for external ops that could threaten the US or our allies, including Al Qaeda and ISIS-K,” Mr Blinken said during the hearing.
“That does not mean we will rely on them,” he added.
Blinken: “We inherited a deadline. We did not inherit a plan."
“We inherited a deadline. We did not inherit a plan,” Mr Blinken said when he was asked if any withdrawal plans were left by the Trump administration to remove US troops after they made the deal with the Taliban for when the US presence in the country would end.
Blinken says six Americans left Afghanistan via 'overland route'
“On Thursday, a Qatar Airways charter flight with US citizens and others onboard departed Kabul and landed in Doha. On Friday, a second flight carrying US citizens and others departed Afghanistan. These flights were the result of coordinated efforts by the United States, Qatar, and Turkey to reopen the airport, and intense diplomacy to start the flights,” Mr Blinken said in his opening statement.
“In addition to those flights, 6 American citizens and 11 permanent residents of the United States have also left Afghanistan via an overland route, with our help. We are in constant contact with American citizens still in Afghanistan who have told us they wish to leave. Each has been assigned a case management team to offer specific guidance and instructions. Some declined to be on the first flights on Thursday and Friday for reasons including needing more time to make arrangements, wanting to remain with extended family for now, or medical issues that preclude travelling now,” he added.
You can read the entire opening statement here.
Blinken: 100 Americans left in Afghanistan that want to leave
Democratic representative calls out Republican for shouting ‘you lie’ during Obama State of the Union
Blinken says 100 Americans still trying to get out of Afghanistan as GOP lawmakers call for his head
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that roughly 100 American citizens who had indicated desires to leave Afghanistan remained in the country as of Monday.
His remarks came during Monday’s hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which met to question the secretary about the chaotic exit from Kabul by US forces throughout the end of August, when the Biden administration airlifted tens of thousands of US forces and others out of the country following the fall of the capital to the Taliban.
“As of the end of last week, we had about 100 American citizens in Afghanistan who told us they want to leave the country,” Mr Blinken said, calling it a “moving picture”.
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Blinken says 100 Americans still trying to get out of Afghanistan
Dozens of Americans still in Afghanistan as many decided only recently to leave, secretary claims
VIDEO: Blinken confirms 100 still await evacuation from Afghanistan
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