Biden’s Afghan exit has created an unfavorable view of him among the Americans and plunged his approval ratings. According to Reuters/IPOS opinion poll released on Monday, less than 40% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s handling of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, and three quarters wanted U.S. forces to remain in the country until all American civilians could get out.
This national survey was conducted on Aug. 27-30 which underscored 51% of the Americans disapproved of Biden’s approach towards pull-out from Afghanistan, while 38% approved his strategy.
Biden’s Afghan exit left him with mounting criticism
Biden’s Afghan exit has left him loud criticism for failing to renegotiate the deal former President Donald Trump struck with the Taliban and for committing to a full withdrawal by August 31, extending Trump’s previous deadline of May 1 but refusing to further extend it to enable all Americans who wish to leave the country to do so.
It is “a big drop.” https://t.co/dS1z7uJPcv
— IJR (@TheIJR) August 24, 2021
Former President Donald Trump, condemned Biden’s Afghan exit and called it a “great humiliation” to US foreign policy. He assailed his flawed strategy and mishandling of the evacuation crisis. Trump, in an interview with Fox News also highlighted that if he were the US president, the IS attack at the Kabul airport couldn’t have happened.
Former Lt. Gen. David Deptula said three days ago to Fox News that it was ‘irresponsible’ to abandon Bagram Air Base and allow the Taliban to control the US evacuation location in Kabul. Also, he added that, “Biden didn’t end war in Afghanistan, he changed the character of it”
Read more: Can Biden repair American power?
US troops withdrawal was a unanimous decision, claims Biden
President Biden announced that all U.S. troops had left Afghanistan, a decision which the Joint Chiefs of Staff unanimously supported, he pointed out. He claimed that the decision to pull-out troops by Aug 31st was an “unanimous recommendation of military leaders”.
“For now, I will report that it was the unanimous recommendation of the Joint Chiefs and of all of our commanders on the ground to end our airlift mission as planned,” said Biden. “Their view was that ending our military mission was the best way to protect the lives of our troops, and secure the prospects of civilian departures for those who want to leave Afghanistan in the weeks and months ahead.”
Read more: Race against time to end Afghan evacuations as Aug 31 deadline looms
“I want to thank our commanders and the men and women serving under them for their execution of the dangerous retrograde from Afghanistan as scheduled – in the early morning hours of August 31, Kabul time – with no further loss of American lives,” he added trying to get a favorable public opinion on his Afghan exit strategy
Read more: West faces mounting criticism over Afghan crisis