Former US president George W. Bush. Photo / Deutsche Welle
Former US president George W. Bush. Photo / Deutsche Welle
Former US president George W. Bush has labelled America's decision to withdraw its military forces from Afghanistan a "mistake", saying it will lead to "unbelievably bad" consequences.
Bush was the president who took the US to war in Afghanistan after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Now, 20 yearslater, the US and its allies are leaving.
In an interview with the German news broadcaster Deutsche Welle, published today, Bush was asked to reflect on Germany's outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel, who's been in power since 2005.
At one point he brought up Afghanistan, saying Merkel "saw the progress that could be made" for women and girls in the country through the West's involvement.
"It's unbelievable how that society changed from the brutality of the Taliban," he said.
"And I'm sad. Laura and I spend a lot of time with Afghan women, and they're scared. And I think about all the interpreters and people who helped not only US troops, but NATO troops, and it seems like they're just going to be left behind to be slaughtered by these very brutal people. And it breaks my heart."
Coincidentally, today the Biden administration announced it would start evacuation flights for Afghans who aided the US military in the last week of July.
The flights, organised as part of Operation Allies Refuge, are available for Afghans who are eligible to apply for special immigrant visas.
"A kind person with a lovely soul – that's the person I got to know," said former U.S. President George Bush about Angela #Merkel in an exclusive interview with DW Washington bureau chief @inespohl. Watch the full interview on YouTube tomorrow from 10 a.m. CEST. pic.twitter.com/gn1OOKTM1q
In April, President Joe Biden set September 11 as the deadline for all US troops to leave Afghanistan, exactly two decades after the terrorist attacks that prompted America's invasion of the country.
"We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result," he said.
"It is time to end America's longest war. It is time for American troops to come home."
When Biden issued that order, there were officially 2500 troops and 16,000 private contractors still in Afghanistan. According to reports, there were also some 1000 special forces troops operating in the country at the time who were not included in the tally.
The President promised America's "diplomatic and humanitarian work" in Afghanistan would continue, even without its military involvement.
Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, previously struck a deal with the Taliban for US troops to leave by May 1. The Biden administration concluded that plan was unrealistic.
President Joe Biden set Sep 11 as the deadline for all US troops to leave Afghanistan, exactly two decades after the terrorist attacks that prompted America's invasion of the country. Photo / Getty
Last week Biden accelerated his timeline, saying the mission in Afghanistan would be over by the end of August.
Speaking from the East Room in the White House, he defended the decision to leave.
"Let me ask those who wanted us to stay: How many more? How many thousands more of America's daughters and sons are you willing to risk? How long would you have them stay?" the President asked.
Questioned by reporters, Biden insisted the mission to Afghanistan "hasn't failed, yet".
In recent months, as the US and NATO forces have been finalising their exit, the Taliban has been winning on the battlefield.
It now controls about a third of Afghanistan's districts.
