Congressman Fred Upton is not pleased with the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He issued a statement Monday in which he said the withdrawal was “horribly botched from the get-go and easily predicted.” Upton goes on to say he weeks ago joined most of his colleagues in calling for a safe, expedited passage to the United States for Afghans who helped the nation’s troopers over the past 20 years. Upton says the “debacle casts a black eye on America, and has put Americans and those who have helped us at severe risk.” He compares the chaos in Kabul to Saigon, and says its memory should “have driven an orderly transition rather than the horror that we now see, the devastating nightmare that Afghans will face under Sharia law, and the potential for world terrorism that again threatens us.”
Upton’s full statement is below:
“The withdrawal from Afghanistan was horribly botched from the get-go and easily predicted. Several weeks ago, I joined most of my colleagues to expedite safe passage to the United States for thousands of Afghans who aided our brave troops over the last 20 years. This debacle casts a black eye on America, and has put Americans and those who have helped us at severe risk. The still vivid memory of Saigon should have driven an orderly transition rather than the horror that we now see, the devastating nightmare that Afghans will face under Sharia law, and the potential for world terrorism that again threatens us. All we can do now is hope and pray that President Biden’s pledge to get everyone to safety will come to fruition.”
