Today, U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (TN-02) released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan:

“The Biden administration botched our withdrawal from Afghanistan, which led to the deaths of Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss and 12 other U.S. servicemembers and left thousands of United States citizens and Afghan allies stranded. I will keep pushing to hold the Biden administration accountable for this disaster that cost so many lives and diminished our country’s reputation on the world stage.” 

In August 2021, the Taliban seized control of Kabul less than a week after the United States’ withdrawal and is currently armed with billions of dollars' worth of U.S. military equipment that was left behind. Taliban leaders are now depriving many Afghan citizens of basic rights and denying education to women.  

Additionally, before he was recently killed, al Qaeda’s leader was residing in a house in Kabul that was owned by a top aide to the Taliban's Interior Minister, who leads the foreign terrorist organization known as the Haqqani Network. 

Rep. Burchett serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism.  

Original source can be found here.