Scott Statement On Afghanistan

Statement

Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the situation in Afghanistan:

"20 years ago, the United States entered Afghanistan to destroy the forces responsible for the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. We largely finished that work when the Obama-Biden Administration killed Osama Bin Laden and degraded al Qaeda.

"Our servicemembers have been placed in harm's way for the last 20 years in America's longest war. Our nation has spent billions of dollars to train the Afghan military and provide resources to the Afghan government to prevent the Taliban from regaining control. It is now undeniably clear that President Biden is correct when he asserts that the events of the last few days were inevitable. American troops cannot be asked to stay mired in an endless civil war and be asked to sacrifice more American lives and resources, when it is clear the Afghan government could not and would not stand on its own, even after 20 years of training and support.

"Many partisan voices are looking to use this moment as a political weapon, while not acknowledging that President Trump legitimized the Taliban as a governing force and established the timeline for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The only thing that could have prevented the rapid advance of the Taliban would have been a surge of American troops. That would have led to a continuation of the endless war.

"We must now protect all Americans and our allies that remain in the region. I appreciate the Biden Administration's commitment to expand and improve the Special Immigrant Visa process, so we can provide a safe haven for as many Afghans as possible. Most importantly, I want to thank all of our veterans and servicemembers who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice so much to keep America safe."

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