berchman Loc: South Central PA

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Randy Weir
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Author, journalist, ministerAugust 17
Why didn't Biden make a deal of his own with the Taliban if he knew Trump's deal was non-withstanding post May 1?
There’s a lot going on here and most people simply haven’t been paying attention.

In 2019 Trump entered into direct negotiations with the Taliban outside the presence of the Afghan government because the Taliban demanded it and Trump agreed. In these negotiations, Trump promised the Afghan government would release 5,000 Taliban prisoners if the Taliban would stop attacking US forces. So the problem began when President Trump undermined the legitimate Afghan government to negotiate with terrorists. This weakened and demoralized the Afghan government and strengthened and encouraged the Taliban.

In February 2020, Trump further agreed that the US would withdraw from Afghanistan in May 2020 if the Taliban would agree not to harbor other terrorist groups like Al Qaeda. This further legitimized the Taliban with the US assuming they would regain control of the country.

In August 2020, under pressure from President Trump, the Afghan government reluctantly released the 400 most controversial Taliban prisoners, including more than 150 that were on death row, and 44 who were involved in high profile attacks against US forces, including the deadliest attack of the entire occupation. Afghan President Ghani warned that these prisoners would pose a risk to Afghanistan and the world. So now we have a stronger Taliban, a weaker Afghan government, and we have the worst Taliban fighters and leaders out on the streets planning to retake the country when the US leaves.

On November 17, 2020, shortly after losing the 2020 e******n, Trump announced he would be withdrawing all but 2,500 US troops from Afghanistan. The withdrawal would happen on January 15, 2021—five days before Biden was inaugurated. Note that the National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress on January 1, 2021 barred the Pentagon from reducing the number of soldiers in Afghanistan below 4,000, the number in place when the bill was passed, and Trump’s removal of those forces was in violation of that act.

So here’s where Biden comes in. Trump has weakened the Afghan government, strengthened the Taliban, and assumed the Taliban would retake Afghanistan. Trump had secured the release of the Taliban fighters and leaders who would work to retake Afghanistan, and Trump had already illegally withdrew American forces who would have helped maintain the Afghan government. Biden looked at the options and concluded that Trump had stacked the deck against the US and the Afghan government in favor of the Taliban, leaving two choices: proceed with the withdrawal or send troops back into Afghanistan to re-escalate. Biden concluded that the latter would only postpone the inevitable and that it wasn’t worth wasting any more American lives to do that. He delayed the withdrawal so it could be accomplished more responsibly, then responded as conditions worsened by sending troops to assist with the withdrawal.

As the US began its withdrawal, the Taliban that Trump freed were the very people who fought and led the effort to o*******w the Afghan government. And it seems that even Donald Trump was smart enough to realize that this was exactly what would happen.

Why didn’t Biden cut a new deal with the Taliban? With what leverage? Trump had given the Taliban everything they wanted and the Afghan government was already so weakened that the Taliban have no reason to agree to anything he could propose.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Col. Richard Kemp, former Commander of the British in Afghanistan has made four salient points about the withdrawal. #1, Biden has o*******wn just about everything that Trump put into place, but he went through with this? #2 Biden calls the Afghan soldiers cowards, yet they lost 50,000 men in the last seven years. It was the Afghans who were doing the fighting. #3 The U.S. and allies presence provided them with much needed air support, without which they were crippled in their fight against the Taliban. And #4 The presence of the U.S. provided the Afghan troops with a surety that they would not fail. When the U.S. pulled out, it was like pulling the rug out from under them.

This is all on Biden.

For those people saying, "well Trump put it into motion." Just remember Eisenhower and Kennedy. Eisenhower had approved air support for the Cuban refugee invasion of Cuba, but no direct U.S. infantry support. Kennedy yanked the air support resulting in the Bay of Pigs. So....don't tell me that just because Trump had set up a timetable that Biden was beholden to it.

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

Great information , you won’t get an answer because so many are using the Afghanistan situation to further their politic oartisanip. Nothing wrong with disliking Biden but honesty counts and we not seeing now.

“”“ leaving two choices: proceed with the withdrawal or send troops back into Afghanistan to re-escalate. Biden concluded that the latter would only postpone the inevitable and that it wasn’t worth wasting any more American lives to do that
“”””

I have tried to explain that and most are so consumed with political partisanship they won’t accept the t***h .

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Well you forgot to mention that it was all about how the withdrawal was executed.

You set up a false choice between only two options, withdraw or escalate. Biden had many more options.

Trump planned a CONDITIONAL withdrawal. If the conditions were not met, there would be bad consequences for the Taliban, bombing them or the withdrawal was out.

Biden UNCONDITIONALLY cut and ran. Pure and simple.

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

If a person won’t fight to defend their country armed with the best weapons in free world after 20 years of training they are indeed cowards. It is not like they even tried to fight.

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

Learn how to read . He faced two choices a withdrawn or rengage... period.

Read the first post in this thread !

“”” leaving two choices: proceed with the withdrawal or send troops back into Afghanistan to re-escalate. Biden concluded that the latter would only postpone the inevitable and that it wasn’t worth wasting any more American lives to do that
“”””

Just so you know the 2500 troop s he inherited were logistics and advisors not combat units .

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

You are a coward for parroting the despicable characterization given to the Afghanis by the sniveling draft-dodging Biden himself. Do some research on your own for once and don't just buy the official Biden lies. Were the 50,000 Afghan soldiers who died cowards in your mind?

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

At least you have recovered from the t***p w*n the e******n fantasy and now you are into a new one .

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Thank you for speaking the t***h no matter what the Biden apologists say.

soba1 Loc: Somewhere In So Ca

Thanks

SteveR Loc: Michigan

They've lost 50,000 in the last seven years. That's as many as we lost in Korea and Vietnam They don't sound like cowards to me. I know who Biden has made to look like cowards, and it's not the Afghanis.

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

Then why didn’t they fight for their country ???

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Why do you buy Biden's lies without a doubt about it? The military on the ground has said the Afghani's took the brunt of ALL the fighting. The Americans just commanded and instructed them and provided air support. Biden expects his numb-nuts base to believe what he says and you are buying it.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

taliban wouldn't accept another deal they knew trumps deal was. good for them untried fa:or

Let’s keep in mind, [former Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo met with the Taliban. As Donald Trump was publicly saying, ‘We have to get out of Afghanistan at all costs. It’s not worth it,’ Mike Pompeo meets with the Taliban and tries to negotiate something,” Kinzinger said on “State of the Union.” “They set this up to fail. But always, of course, Joe Biden could have easily turned this around, and instead used it as the excuse to get out.”

Kinzinger said that “both parties have failed the American people and it can’t continue. And it particularly can’t continue with just pointing fingers while America is embarrassed in front of the world

Shutterbug1697 Loc: Northeast

After 20 years of US Training and Weapons Supply the Afghanistan army simply dropped their weapons and ran away from defending their own country.

Why should the United States stay there any longer?