WELL, IT SHOULD: Afghanistan takeover sparks concern from NATO allies.
The US withdrawal and rapid deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan has prompted criticism among some NATO alliance members.
Senior politicians in NATO countries that supported the US-led operation in Afghanistan expressed concern about the speed with which the fall of the capital occurred, as dramatic scenes unfolded in Kabul on Monday.
It also comes as several countries work to evacuate their diplomatic staff from Kabul’s airport.
Germany’s Laschet: NATO’s ‘biggest debacle’
Among those who were critical was the head of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), Armin Laschet.
Laschet, who is running to succeed Merkel in national elections next month, said the withdrawal was an embarrassment to the alliance and that lessons needed to be learned.
“It is evident that this engagement of the international community was not successful.”
“It is the biggest debacle that NATO has suffered since its founding, and we’re standing before an epochal change.”
A UNITER, NOT A DIVIDER! Biden team faces bipartisan anger over chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal.
President Joe Biden’s team can expect to face bipartisan backlash over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as prominent Senate Democrats join Republicans in faulting the administration for mismanaging the chaotic exit.
“Intelligence officials have anticipated for years that in the absence of the U.S. military, the Taliban would continue to make gains in Afghanistan,” Senate Intelligence Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said Monday. “That is exactly what has happened as the Afghan National Security Forces proved unable or unwilling to defend against Taliban advances in Kabul and across the country.”
h/t SG