Retired General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.: “Merely a Matter of Time” Troops Will Be Sent Back to Afghanistan

It doesn’t seem like a question of “if,” but “when” we redeploy troops to Afghanistan again amid rising terrorism concerns. This security situation wasn’t an item that caught us off-guard. It didn’t sneak up on us—it’s just another consequence of Joe Biden’s destructive policies. For all his time in DC, it’s still amazing that he remains one of the worst foreign policy minds in American politics. The Delaware liberal has been wrong on every significant American foreign policy effort for the past 40 years, and this Afghanistan pickle is no different. 

On Fox News Sunday, retired Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. admitted that going back to Afghanistan, the graveyard of empires, was only a matter of time, given the increased activities of radical Islamic terrorists. McKenzie was the last commander of US-NATO forces in Afghanistan before our shambolic withdrawal. The Council of Foreign Relations had a detailed memorandum about the rising terror threat and how, unsurprisingly, the Taliban being allies of groups like al-Qaeda, have given their terror pals a lifeline to conduct their global campaign of jihad. The nation’s third-world dynamics and failing state status also serve as a magnet for terror groups. 

.@JenGriffinFNC: “Do you think troops will have to be sent back to Afghanistan?”

Retired Gen. McKenzie: “That’s a difficult question…the threat is growing in Afghanistan, and it’s merely a matter of time.” @FoxNewsSunday

— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) August 28, 2022

It’s not like this is groundbreaking news. I think anyone with half a brain knew that the Taliban taking over would be a setback for our global anti-terror operations. Also, did anyone think they would respect women’s rights once they took over? No. 

Be prepared for a heavily factionalized debate on this subject, as there are no unified sides here. The Republican Party, war-weary like the rest of the country, is trying to stomp out the remaining neoconservative contingents that want endless war. The Democratic Party is not so hot on returning and looking no better than the previous administrations dealing with this war. No side wants to be pegged to the images of desperate Afghans clinging to airplanes as we saw in August 2021.

What’s ironic is that Joe Biden leaving Afghanistan would have garnered bipartisan support. The Trump wing of the GOP is done with the nation-building ventures set forth by the Bush years. Leaving everything within a timeframe of only a few weeks was not responsible, however. It’s a punch to the gut that we were in Afghanistan for 20 years; we have nothing to show for it. It once again exposes the limits of American power.

But a two-decade war may require years to complete a responsible drawdown to ensure things, like billions in American military equipment, don’t fall into enemy hands. Even after we’re gone, we probably should have a small contingent of forces to conduct anti-terror operations, raids, intelligence gathering, and occupy bases for drone strikes.  This strategy is the anti-terror alternative Biden pushed for in 2009 when Obama was considering a troop surge. Obama opted to deploy another 30,000 troops instead. 

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