(Photo : Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Biden Delivers Remarks On Status Of Afghanistan Evacuation
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 20: U.S. President Joe Biden gestures as delivers remarks on the U.S. military’s ongoing evacuation efforts in Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House on August 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. The White House announced earlier that the U.S. has evacuated almost 14,000 people from Afghanistan since the end of July. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Experts believe the chaos in Afghanistan might jeopardize Joe Biden's presidency if Republicans try to impeach him over the escalating catastrophe. A succession of critical blunders in the war-torn country is suspected to have sparked a revival of Islamist terror assaults in the United States.
Both Democrats and Republicans have chastised Biden for his handling of the problem after he vowed the US would leave Afghanistan in a "safe and orderly" way. On Sunday, Taliban terrorists took control of Kabul, prompting a quick and "humiliating" US retreat.
The way the issue has unfolded is tremendously detrimental to Washington's reputation, according to US politics expert Thomas Gift of University College London. Biden's handling of the crisis has been dubbed a "debacle," prompting some Republicans to suggest impeachment or invoking the 25th Amendment.
Biden gives a second address
As the exit of Americans and allies from Afghanistan proceeds, fears grow that Afghan refugees are being neglected after Kabul was captured by the Taliban on Sunday. US President Joe Biden is giving his second address to the nation this week.
Biden is scheduled to address worries over the evacuation of Americans, allies, and Afghan refugees, amid reports that the mission is running behind. Biden acknowledged last week that "chaos" was unavoidable with his country's withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Senator Lindsey Graham has threatened Biden with impeachment if one American or Afghan ally remains in Kabul. After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan this weekend, it's unclear how many people are waiting for airlifts out of the nation before the agreed-upon deadline of August 31, as per The Independent.
Since August 14, the US military has evacuated 9,000 civilians, and 14,000 since late July. On Thursday, 3,000 people flew out on 16 different aircraft. While the ability to transit 5,000 to 9,000 passengers per day exists, getting people via Taliban checkpoints to the airport is a major obstacle. With tens of thousands still trapped in Afghanistan, the Biden administration was compelled to reverse its decision on $2,000 evacuee fees on Thursday, amid allegations that people fleeing the Taliban were being forced to repay the US.
The case to impeach Biden isn't "compelling," but that won't stop Republicans from trying, according to Rob Singh, an expert on American politics. If the Republicans retake control of the House of Representatives in next year's midterm elections, Biden's future may become more challenging.
Per The Sun, Singh says the GOP may try to take advantage of the "toxic" atmosphere on Capitol Hill. Foreign policy has typically been less important to voters than concerns such as the economy or COVID-19, but if the crisis worsens, Afghanistan might come to the top of the agenda. It's expected that the Taliban siege's instability would serve as a breeding ground for ISIS and Al-Qaeda terrorists.
Lawmakers invoke the 25th Amendment
In contrast to elders who are "content" with dominating Afghanistan, Singh added that extremist members of the terrorist group want to export Jihad beyond Afghan boundaries. Senator Lindsay Graham accused Biden of being "oblivious" to the Taliban's terrorism threats to the United States.
It comes 20 years after the 9/11 attacks when an intelligence report revealed that Al Qaeda has a "safe place" in which to plot murder. ISIS has taken advantage of the political instability and increase in violence as the West retreated, according to a report compiled by the Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General.
An increasing number of Republican leaders have suggested invoking the 25th Amendment, resignation, and impeachment as possible remedies in recent days, claiming that Biden's actions since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban put into doubt the president's fitness to serve.
The use of the 25th Amendment, which permits the vice president, a majority of the president's Cabinet, and two-thirds of Congress to vote to remove a president who is unable to fulfill the powers and duties of his office, has been suggested by several lawmakers.
Biden has the option of stepping down willingly, which many Republicans have urged him to consider. No other member of the government would be required to take any more steps to carry out the resignation. If Biden resigns, he will be the second president in US history to do so on his initiative, following former President Richard Nixon's 1974 resignation.
In a series of appearances this week, Biden has defended his strategy in Afghanistan, where thousands of US citizens and Afghan nationals who are eligible for US visas are stranded. He cited the Trump administration's February 2020 agreement with the Taliban, which promised US force withdrawal by May 1, 2021, Washington Examiner reported.
Related Article: Donald Trump Describes Afghanistan Withdrawal The Greatest Embarrassment in US History, Praises His Relationship With Kim Jong Un
