Republicans criticise the withdrawal from Afghanistan as situation deteriorates

Liz Cheney says ‘ending endless war’ actually means ‘unconditional surrender’

Republican members of Congress criticized the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Taliban continues to make gains across the country.

Rep Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, chastised the idea of “ending endless war” as actually meaning “unconditional surrender”.

“That is what we are seeing in Afghanistan today,” Ms Cheney tweeted on Thursday. “American weakness is dangerously provocative.”

Rep Adam Kinzinger, who served in Afghanistan in the US air force and is a lieutenant colonel in the air national guard, said the Pentagon sending troops to Afghanistan to help with embassy evacuations was “devastating” and “entirely avoidable”.

Freshman Rep Peter Meijer of Michigan, who served in Iraq in the US army reserves and worked for a non-governmental organization in Afghanistan, said the Taliban’s seizure of Kandahar was a consequence of the failure of the US to build a credible Afghan government.

“The reality is that the Taliban made a stronger case with tribal elders and regional leaders than the US-backed government,” Mr Meijer tweeted. “This is how major cities like Herat and Kandahar fell in hours without significant resistance. Money and foreign support can’t buy legitimacy.”

Sen Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, also criticized the Biden administration, saying they were more focused on race than on an orderly drawdown.

“It’s clear President Biden and his Department of Defense have been more concerned with critical race theory and other woke policies than planning an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Mr Cotton, who is often considered a potential candidate for president in 2024, tweeted.