The Taliban, after taking over Afghanistan, have a nation where they can offer a haven to terrorists while they "cook up" their plots, and they and America's other enemies do not fear the United States because of the actions President Joe Biden and his administration have taken, Sen. Marsha Blackburn said Thursday.
"Our NATO allies are furious with this administration and how they've conducted this," the Tennessee Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." "Our enemies do not fear us ... our enemies are emboldened. The Taliban does not fear us. They now are in charge of a country and they are going to run their operations from that country. The world is less safe because of Joe Biden and the decisions that he has made."
Meanwhile, the United States must be sure that "every American comes out of there, that our NATO partners, our Afghan allies, SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) holders, the SIV applicants get out of there, that their lives are spared," Blackburn said. "Now, I know for Joe Biden and his administration, 90% is good enough. Leaving 10% behind is good enough."
Blackburn also said that reports that the Taliban are planning to install their government on Saturday, the 20th anniversary of 9/11, should trouble "every single American."
According to the reports, which have not been publicly confirmed, Afghanistan's new interim government, led by Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, is expected to be sworn in Saturday, and invitations have been sent to several countries — including the United States — to attend the ceremony, according to India.com.
"What has happened in those 20 years, is, God bless the men and women in uniform that gave those 20 years of freedom from these terrorist attacks," Blackburn said. "They gave the sacrifices that they have made, but the war on terror started and that war continues.
"The Taliban, the people that were carrying out this ideology of terrorism, al-Qaida, ISIS, the Taliban, they now have a country, a nation-state where they can go, they can harbor, and they can have safe haven. They can cook up their terrorist plots. And they can do it saying this is the Islamic Emirate and we're in charge."
Blackburn also slammed a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken who said there are limits on what the United States can do about the Taliban's refusal to allow charter flights carrying Americans out of Afghanistan to leave.
The senator reiterated that she thinks Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley all should resign for how they carried out the exit from Afghanistan.
"I think that their actions have been intentional, or why would they have decided to pull our military out?" said Blackburn. "Why would they have changed the exit and withdrawal plan?
"But here's the thing. They cannot tell you how many Americans are left there. I'm guessing they can't tell you how many of the SIV holders are left. They're guessing on that, and they should have taken care of these details. What they're doing is basically running a PR campaign [while] trying to cover their tracks because Americans are left."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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