Nikki Haley blames Biden for ’embarrassing failure’ in Afghanistan



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Washington – Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blamed President Biden for the chaos in Afghanistan following the The Taliban takeover of the country, calling it an “embarrassing failure” of the US government.

“They are not negotiating with the Taliban, they have surrendered completely to the Taliban. They returned Bagram Air Base, which was a major NATO hub. They returned $ 85 billion in equipment and equipment. ‘guns we should have gotten out of They surrendered the American people and actually withdrew our troops before they took out the American people, and they abandoned our Afghan allies who kept people like my husband safe while they were deployed to the stranger, “Haley said of the Biden administration in an interview Sunday with” Face the Nation. “” There was no negotiation. It was a complete and utter surrender and an embarrassing failure. “

A week after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan amid the US withdrawal from the country on August 31, the Biden administration continues rush to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies safely in deadly chaos and confusion outside Kabul airport.

But on Saturday, the United States Embassy in the Afghan capital issued a security warning advising American citizens to “avoid going to the airport” unless they have received individual instructions from the government. American to do so, due to persistent security threats.

In a 24-hour period before Sunday morning, 58 military and commercial planes carrying around 7,800 evacuees had taken off from Kabul airport. A total of 25,100 people have been relocated since Aug. 14, a defense official said. While it is not known how many US citizens were evacuated from Afghanistan in total, Mr. Biden told ABC News in an interview last week that between 10,000 and 15,000 are in the country.

To aid in the evacuation effort, the Defense Ministry on Sunday mobilized the use of 18 commercial planes from six U.S. airlines to transport the evacuees from locations outside of Afghanistan. Mr. Biden is expected to comment on the situation in Afghanistan on Sunday afternoon.

The president has been criticized for his handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the frantic evacuation of Americans and Afghans who aided US troops during the 20-year war there, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called senior officials of the administration testify before them from next week.

Haley, who served in the Trump administration, said that in the seven months since Mr. Biden took office, the United States has “completely surrendered and humbled itself in the eyes of the world. “.

“The Biden administration needs to go back and extend this August 31 deadline and make sure the Taliban know they need to let people into the airport, we need to get our Americans out, we need to stick with these Afghan allies that we have made promises to, and we have to make sure we do that very firmly in the future, ”she said.

While Mr Biden maintained his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, he also blamed former President Donald Trump for leaving the Taliban in “the strongest military position since 2001” after the administration of the former president. negotiated a deal with the group, which included the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in May.

Haley defended the former president, saying he had “kept terrorism at bay” during his four years in office.

“There are times when you have to negotiate with the devil, but you negotiate with the devil from a point of strength, you don’t do it from a point of weakness,” she said. . “We literally have no influence right now with the Taliban.”

Haley said the top priority for the United States must now be to ensure that Americans leave Afghanistan safely, and that the Biden administration must “never” recognize the Taliban as a legitimate regime.

“We have to find a way to get our Americans and our allies out,” she said.

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