Dan Crenshaw, a Republican congressman from Texas, has voiced support for resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside U.S. forces, blaming former President Biden’s withdrawal policy for leaving them stranded.
Speaking to CBS’s Margaret Brennan on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Crenshaw argued that Biden’s “zero troop” policy ignored military advice and trapped America’s Afghan allies in limbo.
“Let’s actually be really clear. The reason they’re stuck is because Joe Biden pulled out of Afghanistan and had a zero-troop policy, despite every adviser telling him it was a terrible idea. That’s why they’re stuck,” Crenshaw said.
He added that he remains committed to bringing them to the U.S.”I still support bringing our allies back. It is obviously still a policy that I support, and we’ll work with the administration to make it happen,” he said.
Personal connection to the crisis
Crenshaw, who served in Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL, shared a personal story of loss, recalling how his Afghan interpreter was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on a mission with U.S. forces.
“I was blown up because one of my interpreters stepped on an IED right in front of me. He lost all four limbs and died later that night,” he said.
“These are patriots. They were fighting with us, alongside us, for their own country and for our interests. Of course, actual allies need to be brought home.”
Crenshaw also criticized the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, arguing that many of those who were evacuated were not vetted allies, while those who had fought alongside American forces were left behind.
“I think the unfortunate thing about that withdrawal is a lot of people who were not even our allies made it back on those flights, and then the people who are our allies, including U.S. citizens, were left behind,” he said.
Crenshaw rejected claims that President Trump was responsible for the withdrawal, insisting that while Trump had expressed a desire to leave Afghanistan, he never actually carried out the withdrawal.
“Again, we cannot blame Donald Trump for this. Donald Trump never left Afghanistan. And we can say, well, he wanted to—well, he never did.”
Since returning to office on January 20, Trump has signed executive orders suspending most U.S. foreign aid and development assistance, effectively blocking the resettlement of more than 40,000 Afghan allies awaiting relocation.
These Afghans had worked alongside U.S. forces during the 20-year war, and many now fear Taliban retaliation.
Some have fled to third countries, where they await the processing of their immigration cases. Without resettlement, they warn, returning to Afghanistan could mean imprisonment, torture, or death at the hands of the Taliban.
