Opinion: Trump Surrendered Control of Afghanistan To the Taliban Last Year

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Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:37 pm

Despite the lies coming from dirty Don Trump, it was his 2020 “peace deal” with the Taliban that delegitimized the now defunct Afghan government and released 5,000 Taliban fighters in a surrender that created the “mess” Republicans and Trump now blame on President Biden.

The only surprise about the sudden situational shift in Afghanistan is that most Americans are unaware it has unfolded precisely as it was supposed to thanks to Trump giving the Taliban everything they demanded last year – including absolute control of the government and an army of 5,000 seasoned fighters..

Those Taliban demands Trump agreed to included the immediate release of the 5,000 Taliban fighters that are now leaders in Afghanistan. That price, and betrayal of the Afghan government, was in exchange for a cease-fire Trump and his Republican cohort thought would aid his reelection effort. And it is noteworthy that he released those Taliban fighters over fierce objections from the Pentagon and the Afghan government that warned him “their release would be a danger to the world.”

The events that unfolded this past week were supposed to happen in December 2020 according to Trump’s surrender agreement with the Taliban leadership. Another point Republicans are not revealing is that they were furious that control of Afghanistan wasn’t handed over to the Taliban earlier, like in December of 2020. The complete withdrawal of American forces was moved from May to August because the Pentagon asked President Biden to postpone the withdrawal until August; it was a request he granted.

Some Americans may recall that there was a minor furor last year when Trump planned to meet with Taliban leaders on September 11 at Camp David in what was essentially “an American surrender deal.” That eventful meeting was scuttled amid outrage over the 911 date, so instead Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rushed to Qatar to sign the “surrender” and announce that the Taliban had been “given everything they demanded.”

It is noteworthy that at no time was anyone from the Afghan government included in any part of the deal; they were “completely delegitimized and cut out of negotiations by Trump.” It is little wonder the government collapsed so rapidly.

Trump did have private discussions with a head of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and of course his peace deal included acquiescing to every one of his demands in exchange for a three-month cease fire; what Trump boasted was a “peace deal.”

Part of that peace deal included the release of 5,000 Taliban fighters that make up some of the forces that swept across Afghanistan. The deal was really an official establishment of the Taliban as “the de facto regime” the minute American forces left the country.

According to Ryan Crocker, the former Ambassador to Afghanistan under the Bush Administration, it was Trump’s “peace deal” that not only gave the Taliban everything they demanded, “it completely delegitimized the Afghan government.” Mr. Crocker said Trump’s deal “was a complete disgrace that diminished our allies and strengthened the enemy” by reinforcing the Taliban with their top fighters and a promise of a quick retreat of U.S. forces.

What has happened over the past 72 hours is precisely what Trump negotiated with the Taliban and hailed as awesome by Republicans at the time of the deal. It is little wonder they quickly removed any mention of praise forTrump’s deal from the official RNC page.

It is important to keep reminding the people why the situation in Afghanistan unfolded the way it did, and more-so to rub Republicans’ hypocritical faces in it. They never complained when Trump invited the dreaded Taliban to Camp David to surrender on September 11, or uttered a peep of opposition when he unilaterally freed 5,000 Taliban fighters that include some of the leaders who seized control of Afghanistan today; and why should they? They hardly complained that many in their ranks were complicit in “orchestrating a terrorist attack on America’s Capitol on January 6.”

H/T SemDem

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Rmuse

Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.

Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn't look good.

Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.