Joe Biden is wrong to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan
But America can still try to minimise the damage
A DOZEN YEARS ago Afghanistan was sliding into carnage. The Taliban, who had scattered back into their villages after the American invasion in 2001, had regrouped and were launching attacks daily on American forces. America was split. President Barack Obama argued that Afghanistan’s elected rulers, though deeply flawed, were much better than the jihadists they had replaced, and should be protected. His vice-president, Joe Biden, wanted to draw down troops, leaving only a small counter-terrorist force. Mr Biden lost the argument; an extra 17,000 American troops flew into Kabul to prop up the government.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The final countdown”
Leaders April 17th 2021
From the April 17th 2021 edition
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