Pentagon officials say the physical withdrawal is proceeding on schedule with little difficulty, but the broader picture is troubling.
Lawmakers of both parties say the administration has yet to answer consequential questions about how it will protect civilian contractors and diplomatic personnel left behind, along with Afghans who worked with the U.S. military as interpreters and in other roles but now are virtually guaranteed to become top targets of the Taliban Islamist insurgency. They also argue that White House optimism about the Afghan military’s ability to fight the Taliban on its own is baseless.
“This has some eerie resemblances” to Vietnam, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia Democrat, said at the hearing. He recalled the rapid fall of Saigon in 1975 as the U.S. frantically evacuated the last of its personnel from its embassy.
Oil, Gas, And Fracking News Read 16May 2021 econintersect.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from econintersect.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Appointing diplomatic czars helps the White House look like it’s laser-focused on big problems. But experience shows they don’t always accomplish much.