Prolonged stay of US troops in Afghanistan could lead to Taliban attacks, and delaying their departure would not make a big difference anyway. With those arguments, US Secretary of State Anthony Blingen defended himself in parliament on Monday.
During the congressional hearing, Blingen was questioned by lawmakers about withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. The Taliban quickly seized power in the country last month, after which about 124,000 people were forced to flee, many of them Americans. During the five-hour session, several Republican politicians called for Blingen to resign.
“If twenty years and hundreds of billions of dollars of support, resources and training are not enough, why should there be an extra year, five years or ten years?” Blinken told a House committee.
However, Blinken said there are lessons to be learned, including that the United States does not have the resources and capability to use military force to rebuild a community.
‘Without help, many Afghans will already be without food in October’
The Secretary of State has handed over most of the responsibilities to former US President Donald Trump. “We inherited a deadline, but Blinkan spoke of Trump’s agreement with the Taliban, in which he promised that the United States would withdraw its troops by the end of May.
According to Blinken, about 100 U.S. citizens are currently stranded in Afghanistan. They are in contact with US diplomats.
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