Former US President Donald Trump has faulted Joe Biden’s timeline for removing troops from Afghanistan following a 20 year old war with the Taliban controlled state.
Last week, Biden said the withdrawal of American troops will begin on May 1, in line with the agreement the Trump administration made with the Taliban but finish on September 11, the 20th anniversary of the World Trade center bombing by Alqaeda that made the US enter into war with Afghanistan.
Though Trump offered his support of President Joe Biden’s plans to bring home American troops, he urged his successor to draw an end to America’s longest war well before the September 11 deadline that Biden set last week.
Trump said that while leaving Afghanistan is “a wonderful and positive thing to do,” he had set a May 1 withdrawal deadline and added that “we should keep as close to that schedule as possible.”
“I wish Joe Biden wouldn’t use September 11 as the date to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan, for two reasons. First, we can and should get out earlier. Nineteen years is enough, in fact, far too much and way too long,” Trump said
“September 11 represents a very sad event and period for our Country and should remain a day of reflection and remembrance honoring those great souls we lost.” he added.
Trump’s statement didnt go down well with all his allies though .
One of his fiercest allies, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, tweeted Sunday evening: “
I could not disagree more with former President Trump regarding his support for President Biden’s withdrawal of all forces from Afghanistan against sound military advice.”
“With all due respect to former President Trump, there is nothing ‘wonderful’ or ‘positive’ about allowing safe havens and sanctuary for terrorists to reemerge in Afghanistan or see Afghanistan be drawn back into another civil war,” Graham added.
