US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, arguing that the way American forces left the country contributed to serious security consequences.
In a statement marking the anniversary of the deaths of 13 US service members in the 2021 Kabul airport attack, Trump described the incident as the result of what he called the “absolute incompetence” of Joe Biden and the Democrats.
“This disastrous performance allowed the Taliban to release thousands of terrorists and bloodthirsty criminals from Bagram,” Trump said.
Trump also claimed that the withdrawal was managed in a way that left US forces vulnerable and gave the Taliban an opportunity to release dangerous prisoners from Bagram prison.
The Kabul airport attack took place in August 2021 during the final days of the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The bombing killed 13 US service members and a large number of Afghan civilians, making it one of the deadliest incidents of the withdrawal.
The Biden administration had presented the withdrawal as the end of America’s longest war and as the implementation of an agreement to leave Afghanistan. However, the rapid collapse of the previous Afghan government and the chaotic final phase of the withdrawal triggered extensive criticism in the United States.
Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Biden’s handling of Afghanistan since returning to the White House, is again seeking to place responsibility for the consequences of the withdrawal on the previous administration.
However, the claims about the number of prisoners released from Bagram and the direct role of the US withdrawal in that process have not been independently verified based on the information available for this report.
Trump’s renewed comments show that the Afghanistan withdrawal remains a politically and strategically sensitive issue in Washington. Beyond the continuing dispute between Trump and Biden, the debate concerns accountability for the decisions made in 2021 and their lasting consequences for US security and foreign policy.
