Republicans call for Biden to resign or be impeached as US withdraws from Afghanistan one day before deadline

The US pulled out of Afghanistan almost a day ahead of the finalised deadline of 31 August

The hasty pullout of US troops from war-torn Afghanistan has angered Republicans, many of whom accused US President Joe Biden of “abandoning Americans” and called for his impeachment or resignation.

This comes hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that a contingent of Americans keen on leaving Kabul, estimated to be under 200 and possibly closer to 100, were unable to get on the last flights.

The US pulled out of Afghanistan, with the last military aircraft leaving on early Tuesday, almost a day ahead of the finalised deadline of 31 August.

In a series of tweets, several Republican leaders blamed the US president for leaving Americans behind, plugging Mr Biden’s statement earlier this month where he vowed US will not leave Afghanistan till all Americans are safely evacuated from the conflict-ridden country.

“It is morally indefensible that President Biden abandoned Americans stranded in Afghanistan. President Biden made the decision that adhering to his arbitrary deadline and keeping his promise to the Taliban was more important than keeping his promise to stranded Americans,” wrote representative Darin LaHood on Twitter.

Republican Jody Hice said: “President Biden withdrew from #Afghanistan BEFORE THE DEADLINE — abandoning American citizens still on the ground desperately needing evacuation! IF BIDEN REFUSES TO RESIGN, HE MUST BE IMPEACHED! This is an absolute disgrace!”

The official Twitter account of Republicans was flooded with criticism in the last few hours which marked the historical event in US-Afghanistan ties with the culmination of 20 years of war and handing over the country to militant group Taliban. “We’re praying for the hundreds of Americans that Joe Biden has abandoned in Afghanistan,” read a tweet by the account just hours after US finalised its exit from Afghanistan.

“The war in Afghanistan has not ended. It’s been extended. Terrorism in Afghanistan won’t stay in Afghanistan. It will spread like a cancer and follow us home,” wrote Florida congressmen and Republican Mike Waltz.

US’s exit from Afghanistan was marked by uninterrupted celebratory firing in Kabul by the ultra radical militant fighters of Taliban who announced “complete freedom” for the country, seen as an embarrassment for the Biden administration and NATO allies.

The commander of US Central Command General Frank Mckenzie said that even if US stayed behind for 10 more days, it couldn’t have possible saved those wishing to flee the conflict-torn country.

“There’s a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure. We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. But I think if we’d stayed another 10 days, we wouldn’t have gotten everybody out,” McKenzie said.

In their final few minutes, US troops destroyed more than 70 aircraft, dozens of armoured vehicles and disabled air defences that had thwarted an attempted Isis rocket attack on Monday.

Top officials handed the country over to the Taliban, stating that it faced a test and now the future must be decided by Afghans.

“With the departure of our military & those of the many partners who stood w/ us, Afghans face a moment of decision & opportunity. Their country’s future is in their hands. They will choose their path in full sovereignty. This is the chance to bring their war to an end as well,” US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted.

Even as it promised a revamped and progressive rule under pressure to uphold human rights, the ultra religious group has said that it wanted to do away with western influences on people of Afghanistan.

“Our culture has become toxic, we see Russian and American influence everywhere, even in the food we eat. That is something people should realise and make necessary changes. This will take time but will happen,” a Taliban official told Reuters.