Former US President George W. Bush criticized the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, calling the White House's decision a mistake. On Wednesday, July 14, he told the German TV and radio company DW.
According to him, as president of the United States, he and his wife spent a lot of time communicating with Afghan women. Now Bush has expressed concern about the fate of the women of Afghanistan.
"Afghan women and girls will suffer unbearably," he said.
The consequences of the withdrawal of American troops from the country will be "incredibly bad," the former American leader added.
"I think about the translators and people who helped not only the US forces, but also the NATO forces. It seems that they were simply abandoned to be killed by these very cruel people, " the politician added.
Currently, there is an aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan against the background of the withdrawal of the US military contingent from the country. Members of the Taliban movement (banned in the Russian Federation) were able to capture several settlements, including on the border with Tajikistan.
On July 9, the media reported that militants had taken control of checkpoints on the borders of Afghanistan with Iran and Turkmenistan. In particular, it was reported about the seizure of customs offices in the cities of Islam-Kala and Torgundi.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, pointed out that Moscow notes a sharp increase in tension on the Afghan-Tajik border, two-thirds of which has been taken under the control of the Taliban. She told about the cases of the transfer of Afghan security forces to Tajik territory. In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explained that what is happening on the territory of Afghanistan worries Moscow " exclusively from the point of view of a possible "spill over" of troubles to the territory of its allies."
In addition, on July 8, Lavrov indicated that the US de facto recognized the failure of its operation by withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. He noted that Washington, withdrawing the contingent now, and Kabul, not wanting to form a transitional government with the Taliban movement, further complicate the situation in the country.
On July 4, the former head of the British foreign intelligence service, Alex Younger, said that the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan would be a big mistake, since this decision could lead to an increase in the military power of terrorist groups, including the Islamic State (banned in Russia) and Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia).
In April, US President Joe Biden said that the military presence of the United States would not help create a stable government in Afghanistan. According to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the country supports the US decision to withdraw troops. He also noted that the Afghan security and defense forces are able to " fully protect their people and country."
The US military has been in Afghanistan since 2001, they were introduced into the country under George W. Bush. The withdrawal of troops began in early May, it is planned to complete it by the end of August.
As planned, a small contingent — up to 1 thousand people — will remain in the country to protect the Kabul airport and the American embassy. In the near future, their number may decrease to 650, the American media wrote.
