Washington, D.C. – Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02), member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after President Joe Biden announced he will be withdrawing all troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021: 

"I deployed multiple times to Afghanistan and Iraq after the 9/11 attacks and have seen first-hand the effectiveness of our counter-terrorism operations. After nearly 20 years of combat operations, we now have a very small presence of about 2,500 soldiers that are succeeding in keeping the Taliban out of power, and these troops are not in combat roles. 

 “The President’s misguided decision to withdraw troops will result in the Taliban eventually regaining power, end any hope of a peace deal, and impose unacceptable costs to the U.S. when we inevitably must return to eliminate renewed terror threats from Al Qaida, ISIS and other violent extremists who are now allied with the Taliban and who are determined to attack the homeland. This decision epitomizes the “penny wise, pound foolish” adage.

 “President Obama made the same disastrous mistake with ISIS in Iraq, and we must learn from this tragic history. A small long-term presence is far cheaper in lives and treasure rather than returning to fight another large-scale war. We want to bring our troops home, but must base these decisions on operational conditions, not the calendar. I urge the President to reconsider his decision."

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