Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas and former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sharply criticized the US withdrawal from Afghanistan on the fourth anniversary of the final troop exit, saying the retreat unleashed terrorism across the region.
In a statement on X, McCaul said the Biden administration abandoned Americans and Afghan allies alike. “His administration abandoned at least 1,000 Americans and thousands of Afghan allies to face retribution at the hands of the Taliban — a terrorist group now armed with $7 billion of left-behind US military equipment,” he wrote.
McCaul added, “It’s hard to overstate the consequences of their failure: our allies subjected to reprisal killings, terrorism set free in the region, and American weakness telegraphed around the world — weakness that emboldened our adversaries like Putin.” He called the withdrawal “a bloody stain on our nation’s history” and urged continued pressure for accountability to prevent such failures in the future.
On Aug. 30, 2021, the US Department of Defense announced the departure of the last US service member from Afghanistan, ending a nearly 20-year military presence. The final departing soldier was Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Even after four years, the withdrawal remains a subject of intense debate, with lawmakers and commentators offering sharp criticism over the execution and its implications.
