A new nationwide poll found the majority of veterans were not happy with how President Joe Biden handled the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.
The Facebook survey polled veterans in seven states between Sept. 1 and Sept. 9 and had 769 respondents. It found that 93.4% of respondents believed that the withdrawal did not respect those who served and gave their lives in the conflict.
Dr. Neal Rosendorf with the Government Department at NMSU told KOB4 News that the chaos and disorder apparent in President Biden's withdrawal should have been foreseen and avoided.
"It became the catastrophe, the unforced error, that we've seen," said Rosendorf. "It didn't have to be that way, it didn't have to be chaos, I mean that's really the bottom line."
According to Fox, 15 New Mexicans have lost their lives in Afghanistan since the conflict began.
The Facebook poll results align with the opinion of the majority of Americans concerning the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a recent Trafalgar poll, which found that 69% of citizens disapproved of the exit strategy, according to the Washington Examiner.
Part of the criticism the Biden administration faced surrounding the withdrawal is that many Americans and Afghan allies were left behind, a situation driven home with dramatic photography of Afghans clinging to U.S. military transport planes while they were traveling on the runway at the international airport in Kabul.
Before the final pullout, the State Department was not able to assist all the Americans stranded in Afghanistan and instructed people not to call the embassy for help, stating in an official advisory, “Do not call the U.S. Embassy in Kabul for details or updates about the flight," the Wall Street Journal reported.
Amid the continuing chaos, General Jack Keane told Fox News that Americans have a right to know about the number of Americans stranded in Afghanistan, saying that it is “insulting” that the Pentagon refuses to release the numbers.
In a set of pre-written remarks, Biden stated, “I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you. The truth is: This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.” However, a former CIA expert says Biden’s statement is “misleading at best” as his agency and others anticipated this scenario and briefed the president months ago, the website justsecurity.org reported. Biden denied that his military advisors warned him against a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan “that [he] can recall,” but Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that he was briefed in April about the risks of his strategy, according to Daily Caller.
While many Americans remain trapped in Taliban territory, the Biden Administration will resettle over 50,000 Afghans into the U.S., housing them in military bases and granting each one payment of $1,250, Daily Informer reported. According to a recent study, American taxpayers will pay over $133,000 per refugee throughout the course of their lifetime and refugee resettlement will cost over $9 billion annually in tax dollars. Over 16 percent of refugees will need taxpayer-funded housing assistance within their first five years of arrival.
In August, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and his team set up a hotline for Americans stranded in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American forces. Cotton launched a page on his website reading, “If you’re an American stranded in Afghanistan, or know one who is, please contact my office immediately at (501) 223-9081 or evac@cotton.senate.gov . The situation is dire, but we’ll do everything in our power to help keep you informed and to help get you out.”
