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Afghanistan will once again become a terrorist safe haven

By House Foreign Affairs Lead Republican Rep. Michael McCaul

Houston Chronicle 

August 19, 2021

There will be many discussions over the next weeks and months as to how Afghanistan fell. The images of people climbing onto U.S. military planes attempting to take off as they try to escape the clutches of the Taliban will forever be emblazoned in the history books as an example of what a failure of America’s leadership looks like. And make no mistake, whether you agreed with the withdrawal or not, the scenes you are seeing on television right now are the direct result of President Joe Biden refusing to prepare for the fallout of his withdrawal.
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As we investigate how Biden allowed this to happen and why he ignored bipartisan pleas to evacuate our partners and secure our embassy personnel, it is critical we also plan for the long-term fallout both from this withdrawal and from the catastrophic manner in which it has played out — beginning with the security threat it poses to the homeland.

Now, four months later, the Taliban have overrun the country. Taliban fighters have gained access to U.S. military bases, including Bagram Air Base, and the U.S. Embassy has been shuttered. These strongholds weren’t just symbols of America’s commitment to the people of Afghanistan and to defeating brutal terrorists. They were critical assets for our intelligence capabilities both within Afghanistan and throughout the region.

As a result, I predict Afghanistan will once again become a terrorist safe haven, and that we will soon face the threat of attacks emanating from the country targeting American soil and our allies.

Read the full op-ed here.

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