US President Donald Trump has criticized the removal of American troops from Afghanistan and called it “the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country,” media reports said.
He was particularly critical of the actions taken by top US military commander Mark Milley and pointed to the loss of Bagram Airbase and the abandonment of military equipment, reports added.
US President Trump Fumes At Former Top Military Officer
Trump said that, ”They left all that equipment behind, and every year they have a parade down from street with the equipment. With all that equipment that they left, they should have taken every ounce of it. Every screw, every bolt. Every nail you take out of there. And Millie said, I remember one time, so we’re better off leaving the equipment. Why? It’s cheaper to leave a $150 million airplane that flying it into Pakistan or India or some place. Yes, sir. That’s when I knew he was not an idiot. Didn’t take long to figure that one out. They left their dignity behind. It was the most embarrassing moment in my opinion in the history of my country.”
Reports said that Trump also talked about the importance of Bagram Airbase and called it strategic because it is just an hour away from the place where China produces its nuclear weapons.
Trump claimed that China now controls the airbase, but Afghanistan has refuted the claim.
Donald Trump Says Beijing Now Controls Former American Air Base in Afghanistan
Media reports quoted Trump as saying, “We had Afghanistan, which I think was the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country, and we would have gotten out. I was the one that got him down. I would have kept Bagram, the big air base, which right now is controlled by China. Among the most powerful runways in the world. Thick, thick with concrete and seal. Anything could land. And right now they were one hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
Moreover, experts have warned against any renewed entry of the US into Afghanistan, citing robust local resistance to overseas military.
Trump is yet to reveal any official policy on Afghanistan.
(Inputs From ANI)
