(TheConservativeNews.org) – As the military and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan presses on, many commentators are launching scathing accusations in the direction of President Joe Biden and his administration officials. Among the most common criticisms people are voicing is the idea our military is leaving American citizens stranded in the war-torn nation. Is this truly the case?
Behind Enemy Lines
America’s last military personnel left Afghanistan on Monday, August 30, just minutes before the deadline Joe Biden had set for completion of the exit. However, the administration has admitted there may be as many as 100 civilians still there, and other estimates suggest the number may be higher.
According to a report from the Sacramento Bee, at least 24 students from the Sacramento area form part of the group. The San Juan Unified School District initially thought as many as 150 students could be stuck in Afghanistan. The region has a large Afghan population, with around 9,700 Afghans living in Sacramento County.
Worryingly, many of those Americans still in war-torn Afghanistan are juveniles. There are very young children there, some of whom were born in the US to Afghan parents with green cards.
The Mission Continues
Speaking on Fox News earlier this week, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby faced questions about Joe Biden’s broken promise to get every American out of Afghanistan before fully withdrawing the military on August 31. Kirby said the administration had made “a lot of efforts” to contact any American still in the region before evacuating armed forces. He also claimed that, while troops were no longer on the ground in Afghanistan, diplomatic efforts to get Americans home safely would continue.
Kirby commented specifically on the case of Mark Frerichs, a veteran of the US Navy who is currently a hostage of the Taliban after they kidnapped him in Kabul in January 2020. Kirby said the government was “laser-focused” on Frerichs’ case.
What’s the Truth of the Matter?
So, is the Biden administration truly breaking promises? On the one hand, there are still more Americans behind enemy lines than we would like to see. These individuals are in grave danger, and their situation is, to some extent, the fault of a flawed withdrawal process.
However, we must also appreciate the process of ending a 20-year-long, trillion-dollar war is an incredibly complex one. Administration officials claim they’ve done all they can so far, and are continuing their efforts. For now, we may have to take their word for it.
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