Antony Blinken Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal, Says Things Didn’t Turn Out Too Bad

Secretary of State Antony Blinken apologized Wednesday to the families of 13 U.S. troops killed by a suicide bomber during America’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying he wished the government had done more to protect them.

Mr. Blinken told Congress that the Biden administration has managed to blunt some of the withdrawal’s worst problems.

He said al Qaeda has not been able to revive itself inside Afghanistan and worries about stranded Americans haven’t come to fruition. The U.S. has rescued hundreds of people left in Afghanistan at the end of the August 2021 pullout.

Far from frayed alliances and falling U.S. standing, he said, America emerged with firmer friends and better security on the international stage. In particular, he said, the withdrawal allowed the U.S. to be in a position to build the coalition that helped Ukraine resist Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

“It’s clear that our alliances, our partnerships, are stronger today than they have been in a generation,” he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. (Read more from “Antony Blinken Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal, Says Things Didn’t Turn Out Too Bad” HERE)