Four years after America’s chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, the psychological wounds remain unhealed for Republican lawmakers who witnessed two decades of sacrifice vanish in days. Their verdict on President Biden’s withdrawal is unsparing: a catastrophic failure that continues to haunt both veterans and America’s global standing.
“I thought the withdrawal was the worst thing I’ve ever seen from any president in my lifetime. It was the most bungled operation I’ve seen,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a retired Air Force brigadier general with 30 years of service, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview marking the grim anniversary of America’s hasty departure.
The August 2021 withdrawal not only ceded control to Taliban extremists but sparked a devastating suicide bombing at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport that claimed 13 American service members’ lives—a tragedy that reached its four-year anniversary this week.
The Veterans’ Verdict: Military Experience Shapes Harsh Assessment
For congressional Republicans who served in uniform, the Afghanistan withdrawal represents more than a policy disagreement—it’s deeply personal. Many dedicated years of their lives to a conflict that ended in what they describe as unnecessary disaster.
Bacon, who personally knew five service members who died in Afghanistan, said the abrupt withdrawal left veterans and Gold Star families questioning their sacrifices. “Why did our friends have to die there? Because all that [President Joe Biden] did, he pulled us out and it collapsed,” Bacon said.
The Nebraska Republican’s assessment echoes a broader sentiment among GOP veterans in Congress, who argue the withdrawal was executed with political calculations trumping military expertise. According to multiple House Republican reports on the withdrawal, the administration prioritized an arbitrary deadline over security concerns.
Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.), a former Army Special Forces officer who completed two combat tours in Afghanistan, described an emotional breakdown when witnessing the chaotic scenes unfolding during the withdrawal.
“I wept,” Harrigan told Fox News Digital. “The reason I wept is because I believed that that display of strategic weakness on the world stage condemned the next generation of Americans to conflict.”
“I Cannot Think of a More Botched Operation”
The August 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Abbey Gate killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghan civilians—a tragedy Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) calls “a complete and total failure of our leadership.”
Barrett, who served over 20 years in the military, pointed to the devastating irony that some troops killed that day “were infants at the time of the attack of 9/11. They couldn’t even, they weren’t even old enough to remember when 9/11 happened.”
Bacon delivered perhaps the most damning contextual detail about the Abbey Gate bombing, noting that “the ISIS-K terrorist who committed the attack was released from prison at Bagram Air Base following the Taliban’s lightning-fast takeover of Afghanistan.”
“I cannot think of a more botched operation than that,” he concluded.
Strategic Consequences: More Than Just a “Forever War” Ending
While Biden administration officials have defended the withdrawal as the difficult but necessary end to America’s longest war, GOP veterans in Congress argue the hasty exit created more problems than it solved.
Harrigan emphasized the tactical failures: “We put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into that conflict, and to see it just effectively given away with no plan and absolutely no thought behind the withdrawal process, ultimately culminating in the deaths of 13 young Americans; none of that needed to happen.”
The consequences extend beyond the immediate chaos of August 2021. According to multiple security experts, the power vacuum created by America’s abrupt departure has allowed terrorist groups to rebuild operational capacity in Afghanistan.
Rep. Barrett highlighted how the situation has opened opportunities for America’s global adversaries: “Afghanistan has since fallen under extremist control with Taliban rule and opened a vacuum for China and other adversaries to gain influence.”
China has indeed moved quickly to establish economic and diplomatic ties with the Taliban regime, with Beijing’s representatives meeting regularly with Taliban officials since 2021. These engagements focus on potential infrastructure investments and security cooperation against terrorist groups that might threaten Chinese interests.
Abandoned Allies: The Interpreter Crisis
All three veteran lawmakers expressed particular concern about Afghan interpreters and other allies who worked alongside U.S. forces and now face Taliban persecution.
“We have an obligation, in my view, to support these guys. I mean, they literally put their lives on the line to save Americans, and they’ve been hunted down in Afghanistan,” Bacon said.
The Nebraska Republican blamed both the current and previous administrations: “I think both the previous president and the current president could do better at helping the Afghan interpreters get out of Afghanistan and get into America.”
Harrigan went further in his criticism of the Biden administration’s Afghanistan policy following the withdrawal: “President Joe Biden was sending $40 million a week to the Taliban, for God knows what reason. And now we have no relationship with them at all, which I also think is a problem.”
A Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan: Terrorism Concerns Mount
Security experts and lawmakers alike warn that Afghanistan under Taliban rule has reverted to its pre-9/11 status as a potential safe haven for terrorist organizations. Despite Taliban assurances to the contrary, evidence suggests terrorist groups are rebuilding operational capacity within the country.
“I think that Afghanistan has, historically, and will always be a safe haven for terrorism…if we are not constantly keeping a pulse on what’s going on there,” Harrigan warned.
The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has documented that while the Taliban maintains uneasy relationships with groups like ISIS-K, they have allowed al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations to operate within Afghanistan’s borders.
Lessons for Future Conflicts
Barrett suggests America needs a more strategic approach to military interventions, focusing on clearly defined objectives and exit plans.
“I think we have to have a far more discerning, very realistic and clear-eyed mindset of the challenges that we’re going to face, and what is the second and third order effects of the decisions we make?” he posed. “You go into a country to liberate them. Well, what’s gonna happen the next day and the day after that, the day following?”
This sentiment reflects growing skepticism among some Republican lawmakers about prolonged military engagements without clearly defined victory conditions—a perspective that has gained traction among conservatives following the Afghanistan experience.
The Political Dimension: Election Year Implications
The Afghanistan withdrawal anniversary arrives amid a heated presidential election cycle, with Republicans seizing on the chaotic exit as evidence of what they characterize as Biden administration incompetence.
Former President Trump marked the bombing anniversary by honoring the fallen service members while criticizing President Biden and Vice President Harris for their handling of the withdrawal.
For veteran lawmakers, however, the issue transcends political calculation. Their criticism stems from professional military assessment and personal connection to the conflict.
“I happen to know this to be true. I’ve talked to moms and dads. Why did I lose my son for something that Joe Biden just pulled the plug on and let it collapse?” Bacon said, referencing conversations with Gold Star families.
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Conclusion
Four years after America’s hasty departure from Afghanistan, the withdrawal continues to cast a long shadow over U.S. foreign policy and military morale. For Republican lawmakers with military service backgrounds, the anniversary renews questions about leadership decisions and strategic priorities.
While the administration has defended the withdrawal as the necessary end to an unwinnable conflict, veterans in Congress argue a more measured approach could have preserved both American interests and lives. Their assessment—shaped by personal experience in the conflict—offers a scathing indictment of what they view as a political decision with profound military consequences.
As Afghanistan fades from headlines, these lawmakers insist America must learn painful lessons from the withdrawal to prevent similar disasters in future conflicts—and fulfill moral obligations to those left behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Why do Republican veterans in Congress criticize the Afghanistan withdrawal so strongly?
Republican lawmakers with military experience cite the chaotic nature of the exit, the loss of 13 service members in the Abbey Gate bombing, and the abandonment of Afghan allies as key failures. Many served in Afghanistan personally and feel the withdrawal undermined two decades of sacrifice while creating unnecessary security risks.
Q2: What happened during the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan?
Following the U.S. announcement of withdrawal in April 2021, Taliban forces rapidly captured territory across Afghanistan. By mid-August, they controlled Kabul, prompting a hasty American evacuation from Hamid Karzai International Airport marked by desperate crowds, a terrorist bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members, and thousands of Afghan allies left behind.
Q3: How has China benefited from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan?
Since the U.S. departure, China has expanded diplomatic and economic engagement with the Taliban regime, discussing potential infrastructure investments and mineral extraction. Beijing sees Afghanistan as a strategic piece in its Belt and Road Initiative while seeking Taliban cooperation against terrorist groups that might threaten Chinese interests in the region.
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