Biden’s Afghanistan mistake still resonates | Letters

We recently commemorated the third anniversary of the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Much has been written and discussed about this fateful event, but President Joe Biden was determined to get us out on the 20th anniversary of the war and secure political credit for ending it.

Instead of heeding intelligence warnings, the withdrawal was chaotic and confusing. As a result, a suicide bomber killed 170 Afghans and 13 members of our military. Billions of dollars worth of equipment was left behind, and the impact on veterans and their families will be felt for years to come. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris bear full responsibility for the foolish implementation of this decision.

A withdrawal agreement previously negotiated by the Donald Trump administration with the Taliban resistance included conditions for the withdrawal, but the Taliban (even though they were not yet the official government at the time) failed to meet these, so the US withdrawal stalled.

On that third anniversary, Trump, as a presidential candidate, attended a solemn ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery last month for the 13 soldiers who lost their lives in a senseless act. The Gold Star families who organized the ceremony had asked Trump to attend. Biden and Harris were also invited, but neither showed up.

The former president laid wreaths and granted the families’ request for some photos. For these families, Trump was a source of peace and a shoulder to lean on, despite the chronic falsehoods of the left, the Democrats and the media.

A comment by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in 2014 is still relevant today: “(Biden) has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”

The aftermath of our greatest military humiliation in 50 years revealed a weak and ineffective government. Our enemies watched and continue to watch.

Barbara Essington, Carney’s Point

Call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas

On October 7, the Palestinian terror group Hamas slaughtered 1,1889 Israelis. Israel immediately declared war and has bombed Gaza repeatedly since then, accusing Israel of committing war crimes. Its response to the terrorist attack resulted in the deaths of an estimated 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. How far do we have to go down the road of war, death and destruction before the “right to defend” becomes an inhumane right to slaughter innocents and retaliate?

Apparently unaware of the carnage, President Joe Biden recently approved a $20 billion arms package for Israel and especially for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is using the war to avoid prison on corruption charges.

Do legitimate Israeli “defense” include tactics comparable to Hamas’ bombings of Israeli buses and Hezbollah terrorists’ exploding pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon?

If Israel’s provocations lead to a regional war involving Iran and other countries in the region, are Americans prepared to send their sons and daughters to war and spend their tax money to save Netanyahu’s skin?

Biden must use the enormous leverage he currently has with Israel and demand a ceasefire now – not wait until after the presidential election. If this lame-duck president and his weak, appeasing Secretary of State Anthony Blinken don’t start using carrots instead of sticks, there will be a regional war that we will pay for.

Roy Lehman, Woolwich Township

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