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Former defense official Mary Beth Long warned about the precarious state of US credibility after Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed fewer than 200 Americans are still seeking evacuation from Afghanistan following the final US military withdrawal from the Taliban-controlled country.
“Our credibility is at its lowest, and it’s one thing to leave, but we’ve done worse than that, we’ve left behind American citizens, green card holders and people who risked their lives for us, it’s just shameful, ”said Long, who served under President George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary of Defense for international security affairs. “I wouldn’t trust us, if I were them.”
U.S. Central Command chief Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told reporters at a Monday afternoon briefing in Washington that while all U.S. troops had been successfully evacuated, it couldn’t be said so many American citizens.
“There is a lot of heartache associated with leaving,” McKenzie said. “We didn’t get everyone out we wanted to get out.”
Blinken said later Monday that “a new diplomatic mission has started” in Afghanistan.
Long told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith” that the assessment was “a mistake” because of the burgeoning terrorist networks in the country.
“We have already known and learned through ISIS-K, through the Haqqani Network, that we have Al Qaeda operators crossing the border just a few hours ago,” Long said. “The idea that somehow the Taliban are going to rule Afghanistan by magic and that we are going to have some kind of political deal with them is just a fantasy.”
Blinken added that the United States had suspended its diplomatic presence in Kabul and would move those operations to Doha, Qatar.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
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