House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to bring lawmakers back to Washington, D.C., in a bid to prevent U.S. forces from withdrawing from Afghanistan until “every American” is out of the country.
In a tweet, McCarthy said, “Horrific. Our enemies have taken advantage of the chaotic nature of Biden’s withdrawal.”
“Speaker Pelosi must bring Congress back before Aug 31, so we can be briefed thoroughly by the Administration and prohibit the withdrawal of our troops until every American is safely out,” he added.
Horrific. Our enemies have taken advantage of the chaotic nature of Biden's withdrawal.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) August 26, 2021
Speaker Pelosi must bring Congress back before Aug 31 so we can be briefed thoroughly by the Administration and prohibit the withdrawal of our troops until every American is safely out.
Pelosi’s Deputy Chief of Staff Drew Hammill responded, “Right now, American heroes are risking & giving their lives to execute an extraordinarily dangerous evacuation, & the Minority Leader wants to defund the mission & tie the Commander in Chief’s hands in the middle of the most dangerous days of the operation.”
“What’s not going to help evacuate American citizens is more empty stunts & distraction from the Minority Leader who sat idly by as Pres. Trump proudly negotiated with the Taliban. The Biden Administration has repeatedly briefed the Congress & providing frequent updates each day,” he added.
What’s not going to help evacuate American citizens is more empty stunts & distraction from the Minority Leader who sat idly by as Pres. Trump proudly negotiated with the Taliban. The Biden Administration has repeatedly briefed the Congress & providing frequent updates each day.
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) August 26, 2021
McCarthy’s tweet comes after explosions in Kabul, Afghanistan left dozens injured or dead.
On Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby tweeted, “We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update.”
And in a separate statement, he said, “We can confirm that a number of U.S. service members were killed in today’s complex attack at Kabul airport. A number of others are being treated for wounds. We also know that a number of Afghans fell victim to this heinous attack.”
The Pentagon said during a briefing that at least 12 U.S. service members were killed, and 15 were wounded in the attack.
The explosions come as the U.S. is evacuating Americans and Afghan allies ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline for its withdrawal.
President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the U.S. was on pace to finish its withdrawal by the deadline but added that “the sooner we can finish, the better” as he noted that “each day brings added risk to our troops.”