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Updated August 16th, 2021 at 15:33 IST

US Secy defends Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal decision, dismisses Saigon comparisons

US Secretary of State Blinken also warned the Taliban that if they meddle with US soldiers or the evacuation, they would face a quick and decisive retaliation. 

Reported by: Anwesha Majumdar
Blinken
Image: AP | Image:self
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has completely dismissed comparisons of the United States withdrawing its troops from its embassy in Kabul with the decades ago US withdrawal from Vietnam. This comparison was made by several people as the US started retrieving their personnel during the Taliban's fast march towards the Afghan capital.   

Despite increasing accusations that the rapid US departure led to Afghanistan's worsening security situation, Blinken justified President Joe Biden's plan to pull US soldiers out by the end of August in multiple interviews on Sunday.  

This is not Saigon: Blinken

According to CNN, Blinken mentioned remembering the fall of Saigon in 1975, which marked the end of the Vietnam War, and said that this (the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan) is not Saigon. He added that the USA went to Afghanistan 20 years ago with the singular goal of tackling the people who attacked the US on 11 September 2001, and years later that job has been accomplished. 

After Washington said recently that it will send 3,000 US military personnel to help embassy workers evacuate Afghanistan, a photo of refugees entering a chopper on the roof of a building in Vietnam in 1975 went viral on social media. 

Since then, the comparisons have grown, with Biden stating on Saturday that he has approved the deployment of 5,000 soldiers to assist with the manpower withdrawal. Blinken said that the US staff were being relocated from the embassy complex in Kabul to a location near the airport as part of their ongoing operation. 

In the media interview, Blinken stated the reason for sending such a huge number of troops for the evacuation process as the President's desire to make sure that the US personnel have a safe and orderly manner of withdrawal while maintaining a core diplomatic presence in Kabul. Blinken also warned the Taliban that if they meddle with US soldiers or the evacuation, they would face a quick and decisive retaliation. 

A US official said on Sunday that Pentagon had allowed an additional 1,000 US soldiers to assist with the rescue efforts, bringing the total number of soldiers to 6,000. 

Earlier, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate Minority Leader, criticised President Biden this week and called this Taliban attack in Afghanistan a huge, obvious, and preventable tragedy which emerged in Afghanistan. In a statement, he added that President Biden's actions have "us speeding into a much worse parallel to the ignominious collapse of Saigon in 1975." 

Early instances between Taliban and Afghanistan

Previously, the Taliban took control of 26 of the country's 34 provincial capitals. As Taliban forces surrounded Kabul on Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.  

The Taliban claimed control of maximum areas outside the city by Sunday evening. Taliban members later stormed the Afghan presidential palace in which the group's leadership spoke to the media while flanked by numbers of armed militants. Earlier on Sunday, the US embassy released a security notice, saying that the circumstances at the airport were developing fast into worse. 

According to a NATO official, the alliance is retaining its diplomatic presence in Kabul and assisting with the operation of the airport. All three NATO countries, France, Germany, and the Netherlands announced on Sunday that their ambassadors would be relocating from their embassies. 

On the other hand, some have wondered if the Biden administration is doing enough to assist Afghans who've already assisted the US in its military operation in the country.  

Biden said on Saturday that the additional installation of US soldiers will also support the evacuation of certain Afghans via the special visa procedure. At a press conference, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that the security of US personnel and Afghans who aided the Americans would be a top priority for the USA.  

(Image Credit: AP)

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Published August 16th, 2021 at 15:33 IST

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