Current:Home > MarketsPence says Trump administration would have kept U.S. troops in Afghanistan despite withdrawal deal with Taliban-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Pence says Trump administration would have kept U.S. troops in Afghanistan despite withdrawal deal with Taliban
View Date:2024-12-23 18:38:40
Washington — Former Vice President Mike Pence said thousands of U.S. troops would have remained in Afghanistan, despite an agreement the Trump administration made with the Taliban that had American forces leaving by May 2021.
"Candidly, it was always my belief that it would be prudent to keep a couple of thousand American forces there to support our efforts against terrorist elements, both in Afghanistan and in the region," Pence, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, told "Face the Nation" in an interview that aired Sunday.
"I think we ultimately would have done that," he said. "Just as the president announced — the former president announced — we were pulling troops out of Syria. … Ultimately there's still American forces in Syria today. I think we would have landed in that place."
- Transcript: Former Vice President Mike Pence on "Face the Nation"
Under the terms of the Trump administration's 2020 agreement with the Taliban, the U.S. agreed to a conditions-based withdrawal of all remaining forces from Afghanistan if the Taliban lived up to its own commitments. The former vice president argued that the Taliban had breached those terms, and thus the U.S. need not honor the deal.
But when the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan in Aug. 2021, the chaotic evacuation turned deadly when a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghans who were trying to flee the country ahead of the Taliban's takeover.
Both former President Donald Trump and Mr. Biden have blamed the calamitous outcome on other's handling of the withdrawal. The Biden administration has said its predecessor's drawdown of U.S. troops ahead of a full withdrawal left the Taliban in a strong position and its failure to include the Afghan government in negotiations was detrimental. Trump and his allies have criticized Mr. Biden's handling of pullout, saying he botched the exit plan and the chaos would not have happened under Trump's leadership.
The State Department released an unclassified report Friday that faulted both the Trump and Biden administrations for "insufficient" planning leading up to the withdrawal, as well as a number of other missteps.
"[D]uring both administrations there was insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and how quickly those might follow," the report said.
Pence said he does not believe the Trump administration bears some responsibility for the chaos.
"I know what the deal was that was negotiated with the Taliban. It was made very clear. I was in the room when President Trump told the leader of the Taliban, said, 'Look, you're going to have to cooperate with the Afghan government. You don't harbor terrorists. And you don't harm any American soldiers,'" Pence said.
"We went 18 months without a single American casualty to the day at that Kabul airport that we lost 13 brave American service members," he said. "The blame for what happened here falls squarely on the current commander in chief."
Pence also criticized Mr. Biden for his handling of Russia's war in Ukraine, saying he has failed to explain to Americans "what our national interest is there" and is too slow to provide weapons to Ukraine.
"President Biden says, 'We're there as long as it takes.' It shouldn't take that long," said Pence, who visited Ukraine last week and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Pence also discussed the controversial Supreme Court decisions released last week. He said the ruling in favor of a Christian graphic artist from Colorado who does not want to design wedding website for same-sex couples was "a victory for the religious freedom of every American of every faith." In response to the ruling on affirmative action, Pence said he doesn't believe there is racial inequity in the education system in America.
"There may have been a time when affirmative action was necessary simply to open the doors of all of our schools and universities, but I think that time has passed," he said.
- In:
- Afghanistan
- Mike Pence
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hausofcait
TwitterveryGood! (1445)
Related
- AP Top 25: Oregon remains No. 1 as Big Ten grabs 4 of top 5 spots; Georgia, Miami out of top 10
- Caitlin Clark returns to action Wednesday: How to watch Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces
- Local Republican official in Michigan promises to certify election results after being sued
- Las Vegas man pleads guilty in lucrative telemarketing scam
- Will the NBA Cup become a treasured tradition? League hopes so, but it’s too soon to tell
- Hong Kong hits out at US Congress for passing a bill that could close its representative offices
- South Carolina, UConn celebrate NCAA championships at White House with President Biden
- Amid fears of storm surge and flooding, Hurricane Francine takes aim at Louisiana coast
- California researchers discover mysterious, gelatinous new sea slug
- How to Watch the 2024 Emmys and Live From E!
Ranking
- How Alex Jones’ Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion
- Ex-boyfriend and alleged killer of Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei dies
- MTV VMAs reveal most dramatic stage yet ahead of 40th anniversary award show
- Bachelorette’s Devin Strader Says He “F--ked Up” After Sharing Messages From Ex Jenn Tran
- Halle Berry surprises crowd in iconic 2002 Elie Saab gown from her historic Oscar win
- Investigators probe Indiana plane crash that killed pilot, 82
- Kentucky attorney general offers prevention plan to combat drug abuse scourge
- The first general election ballots are going in the mail as the presidential contest nears
Recommendation
-
Forget the bathroom. When renovating a home, a good roof is a no-brainer, experts say.
-
Want Affordable High-Quality Jewelry That Makes a Statement? These Pieces Start at Just $10
-
A wrongful death settlement doesn’t end an investigation into a toddler’s disappearance
-
Get 2 Benefit Porefessional Primers for the Price of 1: Blur Pores and Create a Photo-Filter Effect
-
Louisville officials mourn victims of 'unthinkable' plant explosion amid investigation
-
Las Vegas man pleads guilty in lucrative telemarketing scam
-
Bowl projections: College Football Playoff gets another shakeup after Week 2
-
Kate Gosselin’s Son Collin Accuses Her of Tying Him Up, Keeping Him in Family’s Basement