President Joe Biden’s wide array of bad decisions in Afghanistan staggers the imagination.
Surrendering the Bagram Air Base and operating out of Kabul was off-the-charts ignorant. Bagram was a secure military base with a perimeter for miles. The Kabul airport’s perimeter is only about a city street wide at one point. Bagram had two runways vs one for Kabul. Bagram had plenty of air power for support. There’s none for Kabul. At Kabul, American troops were basically painted into a corner.
Biden forbade American troops from going into the streets or outside the city to rescue Americans. There was one brainless decision after another.
The Taliban had Kabul looking like downtown Minneaplois in a few days. The Taliban quickly took control of Kabul, and Biden was down on his knees kissing the Taliban`s hand and begging them to provide safe harbor for Americans. It was an epic humiliation.
With the Taliban providing security, 13 Americans lost their lives, and hundreds more were left stranded behind enemy lines. You don’t make deals with terrorist organizations. The Biden administration then packed its bags and bugged out of Afghanistan, leaving American citizens and American allies at the mercy of the Taliban. Biden then had the audacity to call this evacuation a "success."
ADVERTISEMENT
Leaving Afghanistan is not the issue here. The chaotic and bloody exit based on Biden`s ineptitude is the contention. Biden also left behind more than $80 billion of military hardware. The terrorists are now armed to the teeth. Taliban death squads went on the prowl, and Americans Biden deserted lived in absolute terror.
Quite frankly, I don’t think this president can last much longer. To borrow the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "This is only the beginning of the reckoning."
Larry Hendrickson
Soudan
Readers' View and Local Views
Letters are limited to 300 words, must be the original work of the author and must be exclusive to the News Tribune. Letters are edited for style, space, accuracy and civility.
Letter writers are limited to one published submission every 30 days.
With rare exceptions, the News Tribune does not publish poetry; letters that are anonymous, libelous or attack other writers; consumer-complaint letters; thank-you letters; or letters generated by political or special-interest campaigns.
We will consider exclusive Local View columns of 600 words or fewer. Authors should possess unique insights, and their commentaries should demonstrate greater knowledge of their subject than letters.
Email submissions to: letters@duluthnews.com
Mail to: Readers' Views, Duluth News Tribune, 424 W. First St., Duluth, MN 55802.
Fax to: 218-720-5120.
Include a full name, address and daytime phone number. Only names and hometowns will be published.
