State Department spokesperson Ned Price pushed back against criticism from CBS News correspondent Christina Ruffini over the situation in Afghanistan, telling her to “look at the investment we have made” there.
During a briefing on Thursday, Ruffini confronted Price over the country’s announcement that it is sending 3,000 troops to help evacuate some personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, as The Associated Press reports.
“I respect you, and we all know you have a job to do,” Ruffini said.
She added, “But there is no way you can sit there and say that the people of Afghanistan watching the Taliban take over provinces, watching their country crumble are now going to watch American diplomats get on military planes and leave the country that that sends a signal that the U.S. is with them in the long haul diplomatically.”
Price responded, “Look at what we’ve been doing. Look at the investment we have made in Afghanistan. Look at the investments, however you measure it.”
He continued, “Whether it is humanitarian. Whether it’s political. Whether it’s diplomatic. Whether it is the security investments that we have made.”
Price explained it is about “the priority this president attaches to the safety and security of Americans who serve in this government… that is not a priority we are willing to risk.”
Watch the briefing below:
According to The Associated Press, the Taliban has taken half of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals in recent days. More than two-thirds of the country is now controlled by the Taliban.
President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, “I do not regret my decision.” He received criticism for his handling of the situation from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), as IJR reported.
“Between the crisis at the border and the debacle in Afghanistan, one could argue that President Biden is the most incompetent national security president in modern history,” Graham tweeted.
Paul Miller, an Afghanistan War vet and former NSC staffer who teaches at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, addressed some of the myths “taking root” as the situation in Afghanistan unfolds.
Responding to the claim that “our presence was unsustainable,” Miller tweeted, “The US presence was tiny, affordable, and low-risk. Few US soldiers were in harm’s way. There was no significant antiwar movement at home. The $$ is way lower than the 2010 peak.”
"Our presence was unsustainable."
— Paul D. Miller (@PaulDMiller2) August 12, 2021
The US presence was tiny, affordable, and low-risk. Few US soldiers were in harm's way. There was no significant antiwar movement at home. The $$ is way lower than the 2010 peak.
He addressed the suggestion that “we screwed up the past 20 years. Time to go,” saying, “Yes we screwed up. I conclude that instead of leaving, we should stay and do better.”
"We screwed up the past 20 years. Time to go."
— Paul D. Miller (@PaulDMiller2) August 12, 2021
Yes we screwed up. I conclude that instead of leaving, we should stay and do better.
Read more of his arguments below:
"We won, bin Laden is dead and AQ is a shell. Whatever else we're doing isn't worth it. Why stay?"
— Paul D. Miller (@PaulDMiller2) August 12, 2021
Because they or their copycats will come back. Witness ISIS after the Iraq withdrawal, or the Taliban today. Jihadists are still out there and very much want to kill us.
"We can't stay there forever. This is the longest war in American history!"
— Paul D. Miller (@PaulDMiller2) August 12, 2021
We can't stay there forever, but neither can we put timetables on the future.
And the only thing that will last longer that the war is our need to defend ourselves from terrorists.
"We had no strategy and we got sucked into nation building which wasn't the original mission."
— Paul D. Miller (@PaulDMiller2) August 12, 2021
This is another way of saying that you didn't follow the war very closely and do not understand what is going on. https://t.co/4Jx4o7NE15
The United States expects all troops to be out of Afghanistan by August 31.