Afghan people have not chosen Taliban: former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Washington: – Condoleezza Rice, former US Secretary of State, said, ‘Along with the US, the Afghans also fought against the Taliban. Afghans have also shed their blood in this war. The Afghan people have not chosen the Taliban.’ US President Joe Biden has claimed that the success of the Taliban in Afghanistan is a failure of the Afghan government, the Afghan army and the Afghan people. Biden had backed his decision, saying the United States could not be held responsible for the failure of the Afghan people. He received a scathing response from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

In an article in the American newspaper The Washington Post, former Secretary of State Rice expressed grave concern over the current dire situation in Afghanistan. Condoleezza Rice played a crucial role in US Afghanistan policy from 2001 to 2005 as National Security Advisor and from 2005 to 2009 as Secretary of State. Rice refuted President Biden’s claims and pointed out the inconsistencies in his policy.

One month before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it is painful to see Afghans hanging from a plane at Kabul airport, desperate to get out of Afghanistan. It was not supposed to happen in this way. The United States cannot afford to turn its back on the country from which the 9/11 attacks originated. Rice said in the article, ‘It would not be fair to assume that the entire Afghan government and people are responsible for the situation in Afghanistan’.

Along with the American troops, the Afghans also shed their blood in the war against the Taliban. The Afghan people have not chosen the Taliban. Afghan soldiers cannot face the Taliban without US military and air power. Noting that the Taliban had threatened to kill anyone, who turned against them during the US military withdrawal, Rice pointed out that this was the main reason for the failure of the Afghan army.

President Biden had said that despite 20 years of fighting, the United States had gained nothing in Afghanistan. But the 20-year period will not be long for Afghanistan, which is mired in a mentality continuing since the seventh century and a 30-year civil war. The US war in Korea was longer than in Afghanistan. The war ended with the deployment of 28,000 troops in a liberal country like South Korea. With this deployment, the United States has maintained a balance of power between South and North Korea, Rice recalled.

Rice said the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was terrible for US supporters. Condoleezza Rice also warned that the United States would have to bear the far-reaching consequences and warned that President Biden would be held accountable.