- America's 20 year war in Afghanistan
is coming to a chaotic end.
The Taliban has seizedthe capital city of Kabul,
effectively ending its campaignto take back the country.
Now, emergency evacuations are underway.
President Ashraf Ghanihas fled the country
and after two decadesand trillions in funding,
Afghan security forcescollapsed without a fight.
(crowd screams)
- The responsibility forwhat's happening today in Kabul
falls squarely on the leadership
of the commander in chiefwho's there in charge
who made the terribleset of decisions that led
to what you're seeing today on television.
- [Caitlin] Former secretaryof state Mike Pompeo
telling CBN News thatwhat we're seeing today
is not what the Trumpadministration negotiated.
- They decided to pull out the military
before they got civilians out.
They hadn't adequately planned.
And as for the agreement,
the Taliban clearly broke the agreement
and President Trump wasunambiguously clear,
"You break this agreement,we will come break you."
- [Caitlin] Critics callAfghanistan Biden's Saigon moment,
scenes of Chinook helicoptersevacuating US personnel
from the now shuttered embassy
eerily similar to what took place
at the end of the Vietnam War.
(crowd shouting overlaps)
The scenes this morning from Kabul Airport
chaotic and heartbreaking.
Thousands surging the tarmac
desperate to get out of the country.
(men shouting in foreign language)
As many as 7,000 UStroops are now en route
or in Afghanistan,
working to evacuateAmerican embassy personnel,
Afghan interpreters, their families,
and others who helped the US military.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle
want to know what wentwrong and who's to blame.
Iraq veteran and Democrat,Representative Seth Moulton,
saying in a statement quote,
"To say that today isanything short of a disaster
"would be dishonest.
"Worse, it was avoidable.
"The fact that at this hour
"we have not even secured thecivilian half of Kabul Airport
"is a testament to our moraland operational failure."
Republican Representative AdamKinzinger, also a veteran,
released a statement blamingthe Trump administration
for negotiating with the Taliban
and the Biden administrationfor withdrawing US forces
without quote, "Any semblance of a plan
"or forethought into howthis would play out."
- This is gonna be astain on this president
and his presidency.
- [Caitlin] The president and his cabinet
continue to defend the decision
for an unconditionalwithdrawal from Afghanistan.
- We went to Afghanistan 20 years ago
with one mission in mind
and that was to deal with the people
who attacked us on 9/11.
And that mission has been successful.
- The question facing the president,
back in April and againas we've gone forward,
is should US men and women
be put into the middle ofanother country's civil war
when their own army won'tfight to defend them.
And his answer to that question was no.
- [Caitlin] Meanwhile,
during an emergency UNSecurity Council meeting,
the secretary general urged members
not to abandon the Afghan people.
- Afghans are a proud peoplewith a rich cultural heritage.
They have known generationsof war and hardship.
They deserve our full support.
The following days will be pivotal.
The world is watching.
We cannot and must not abandonthe people of Afghanistan.
- According to some house church networks
within Afghanistan,
identified believers arereceiving letters from the Taliban
warning that they know where they are
and what they're doing.
Caitlin Burke, CBN News.
