Taliban celebrates 3rd anniversary of botched Biden-Harris withdrawal, parading around in American vehicles
The Taliban took to the streets of Kabul Wednesday to celebrate the third anniversary of the Biden-Harris administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Adding insult to injury, the Islamic extremists paraded around the former U.S. Bagram Air Base with the expensive U.S. weaponry and vehicles that were abandoned along with American citizens during the rushed exit — an exit Kamala Harris
once boasted cosigning and President Joe Biden deemed an “extraordinary success.”
Joined by Iranian and communist Chinese diplomats, Taliban officials who have yet to be recognized internationally gave speeches about the significance of their Aug. 15, 2021, reconquest of Kabul, bragging both about advancing Islamic law and about developing “peace and security” by means of a burgeoning military system,
reported the Associated Press.
“The Islamic Emirate eliminated internal differences and expanded the scope of unity and cooperation in the country,” said Mohammed Abdul Kabir, a senior Taliban military official now serving as the acting third deputy prime minister for political affairs. “No one will be allowed to interfere in internal affairs, and Afghan soil will not be used against any country.”
Whereas the Islamic extremists suggested Afghanistan has thrived in recent years, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan
noted Wednesday that religious minorities, women, journalists, former government security officials, and other groups have been subjected over these past three years to “serious and targeted human rights violations by the Taliban. These include arbitrary arrests and detentions, unlawful killings, acts tantamount to enforced disappearance, rape and other crimes of sexual violence, and torture and ill-treatment.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)
noted that footage of a Taliban military parade involving American equipment serves as a “stark reminder that the Biden-Harris Administration chose to arm the Taliban and leave behind American soldiers.”
“We will never forget the devastating consequences of the White House’s reckless withdrawal from Afghanistan,” added Johnson.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote, “Infuriating. This was Kamala Harris’s gift to the Taliban.”
The Pentagon confirmed that over $7 billion worth of military equipment was effectively left behind for the Taliban.
‘Kamala Harris was the last person in the room with Joe Biden when he made the disastrous decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.’
Blaze News
previously reported that one intelligence assessment estimated that 2,000 armored vehicles and 40 aircraft including UH-60 Black Hawks, scout attack helicopters, and ScanEagle military drones were left behind for the Taliban.
Last year, the House Budget Committee
noted that an additional 181,640 air-to-ground munitions and 50,150 practice munitions were left behind along with 9,200 guidance, control, assemblies, fuses, or launchers; “‘nearly all’ night vision, surveillance, ‘biometric and positioning equipment’ totaling nearly 42,000 pieces of specialized equipment”; and “‘nearly all’ of the communications equipment, including base-station, mobile, man-portable and hand-held commercial and military radio systems, and associated transmitters and encryption devices.”
These figures don’t include all of the American weapons the Taliban inevitably lifted from those Afghan forces that were ultimately left at the mercy of the extremists.
The special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction revealed that from 2017 to 2019, the U.S. gave Afghan forces over 7,000 machine guns, 4,702 Humvees, 20,040 hand grenades, 2,520 bombs, and 1,394 grenade launchers. Ahead of the withdrawal, the U.S. also supplied Afghan forces with 211 aircraft.
Far more was lost than weapons during the Biden-Harris withdrawal.
Amid the confusion, an Islamic terrorist — who
reportedly had been released amid the chaos just days earlier from the Parwan prison at Bagram Air Base — detonated a suicide bomb on Aug. 26, 2021, at Abbey Gate, the last route open for Afghans into the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The ISIS-Khorasan suicide bombing killed 11 Marines, a solider, and a sailor: Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui; Marine Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza; Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee; Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover; Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss; Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez; Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum; Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola; Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo; Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez; Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz; Navy Hospitalman Maxton Soviak; and Marine Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page.
The attack also left 45 other service members wounded and killed at least 170 Afghan civilians.
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)
said in a Thursday statement, “Today marks three years since the Biden-Harris Administration’s colossal failure in the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Americans must never forget the 13 service members who lost their lives and the Gold Star families they left behind in this completely preventable tragedy. We honor their lives and their sacrifices, and we must continue to demand answers, transparency, and accountability.”
Stefanik noted further that “Kamala Harris was the last person in the room with Joe Biden when he made the disastrous decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. Kamala Harris owns this catastrophic withdrawal and proves just how incompetent, incapable, and dangerous she would be as our nation’s commander in chief.”
Harris
confirmed to CNN in April 2021 that she was the last person in the room after Biden decided on his particular withdrawal scheme and noted she felt comfortable with the decision.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) tweeted Thursday, “Three years ago today, Kabul fell into the hands of the Taliban. Kamala Harris needs to answer questions about her role in the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
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