LETTER: Trump is responsible for the Taliban Afghanistan takeover

To Ozaukee Press:

Based on the letters to the editor in the Ozaukee Press in recent weeks about the Afghanistan withdrawal, it seems a lot of people believe that the legacy of a predecessor president magically disappears, and the next person starts from zero.

So what Did Donald Trump leave Joe Biden?

U.S. troop strength down by 12,500 to around 2,500, just enough to get us
out.

The release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, who no doubt participated in retaking of Afghanistan.

Not telling the Afghan government what he was up to and not briefing the incoming administration, hampering their effective transition.

Gutting the Special Immigrant Visa program, resulting in a good part of
the evacuation chaos.

As for the charge about leaving behind weapons, most of them were in the hands of the Afghan army, and to destroy them at any time would lead to the immediate collapse of the Afghan government and even more evacuation chaos.

Yes, the buck stops with Biden, but his administration did accomplish the largest airlift in history out of the country and is currently working with the Taliban to extract more people despite the Trump sabotage.

So, if you want to wave the bloody shirt, when Trump on impulse decided to pull out of Syria and leave our Kurdish allies to the tender mercies of the Turks, how many did he evacuate? Try none.

Take issue for sure about how the Biden administration handled the withdrawal, but if you are a Trump supporter or Trump himself, your criticisms are intellectually dishonest.

Keith Schmitz
Milwaukee