WASHINGTON — Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., defended the U.S. withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan on Sunday, arguing that the move represented the “best of many poor choices.”
Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that while critics have assailed the pullout as a signal of defeat, the U.S. had achieved its goals to “a great degree” during nearly two decades of military operations.
“The purpose that we went into Afghanistan for was to degrade and disrupt Al Qaeda, to limit their ability to project attacks outside Afghanistan. To a great degree, we’ve done that. The job's not over. This is not a closure, this is a transition,” he said.
“The president made a difficult" decision, Reed said, but one that represented "the best of many poor choices.”
Reed added that America should "maintain continual involvement" by supporting the Afghan government either financially or by "providing them the kind of technical assistance they need" militarily.
This week, the Defense Department announced that the withdrawal was 90 percent complete, two months ahead of President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal but after the May deadline former President Donald Trump’s administration set.
Reed supported Biden’s decision to delay that withdrawal, arguing that sticking to the original timeline “would have prompted an incredible increase of violence.”
Biden also defended the withdrawal during a Thursday speech, after almost 20 years since the first American troop touched down in Afghanistan.
"Nearly 20 years of experience has shown us — and the current security situation only confirms — that just one more year of fighting in Afghanistan is not a solution, but a recipe for being there indefinitely," Biden said. "It's up to the Afghans to make the decision about the future of their country."
But as the Taliban makes gains across the country, Biden faces criticism from those who believe withdrawing American troops is a serious mistake.
“It's a crushing defeat," said Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, during a separate "Meet the Press" interview Sunday. "The Taliban always had a saying: ‘America has the watches, but we have the time.’ I’m proud of the American people for sticking by this mission for 20 years. We actually needed to do it longer.
“The Taliban have outlasted the will of the United States.”
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July 11, 2021 at 09:34PM
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Biden picked 'best of many poor choices' in Afghanistan says Senate Armed Services chair - NBC News
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