Rogers comments on anniversary of Afghanistan withdrawal

August 30, 2024 - Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement on the three-year anniversary of President Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"In 2021, President Biden and Vice President Harris publicly set an arbitrary deadline to complete the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan," said Chairman Rogers. "The Biden-Harris administration's arbitrary deadline was fueled by craven politics and unnecessarily put Americans in danger. Congress and senior military officials warned that a rushed and unconditional withdrawal would lead to disaster. Unfortunately, the Biden-Harris administration ignored these warnings."

"Make no mistake, our nation is less safe today because of the Biden-Harris administration's catastrophic withdrawal," said Rogers. "Conflict in the Middle East has escalated to historic levels, including hundreds of attacks on U.S. servicemembers. Our adversaries in the Middle East are no longer deterred. The disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal was one of the first signals of weakness from the Biden-Harris administration to our adversaries in the region. Weakness and chaos will be the legacy of the Biden-Harris administration."

"In the closing days of the Afghanistan withdrawal a terrorist set off a suicide bomb killing 13 American servicemembers and dozens of Afghan refugees at Karzai International Airport in Kabul," said Rogers. "When the Biden-Harris administration set an arbitrary deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan, it was our servicemembers who were put in harm's way."

"On August 26, 2021, ISIS-K took advantage of the Biden-Harris administration's chaotic withdrawal to launch an attack," Rogers continued. "As a result, 13 U.S. servicemembers were killed by an ISIS-K terrorist. These courageous men and women were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice. We must never forget their bravery or their selfless actions."