大俠行天下日記 我見我聞我思 08/17

阿富汗失手重創拜登聲望

拜登總統今日在告全國人民之谈話中堅持從阿富汗撤軍是正確之決定 ，我們已盡全力，但是也要承認塔力班攻陷首都之速度比我們預期快得許多， 在過去廿年来， 我們就如何撒退之決定是非常困難的， 他也指责阿富汗軍隊之棄械投降而不對塔力班進行對抗， 拜登政府不希望把二十年冗長的戰爭延续給下任總统， 他也希望他的國安團隊找出為什么情報錯誤让塔利班如何快速取得政權。

五週前拜登總統還矢言，無論如何你們都不會看到有人從美國駐阿富汗大使館的屋頂上撒離， 並相信塔利班全面控制整個國家的可能性極小。然而今天美國的三軍统帥被打臉了， 也許在史冊中， 拜登將會載入美國在阿富汗匆忙撒離丟盡顏面的結束這㘯歷史上最長的海外戰爭。

雖然許多盟友支持美國從阿富汗撤軍之決定， 但是塔利班勢如破竹的勝利 ，让美國及許多盟國措手不及 ，然而，許多當年效忠美國的當地翻譯和其他工作人員並未能如期離開， 他們的命運可能會很悲慘。

阿富汗之失陷正向許多美國的盟邦傳達不祥的訊息， 這位老大哥是否可靠而不會在緊急情況撒手不管， 更重創了美國在國際上之形象。

當塔利班首領座上縂统府寶座上時， 我們不禁再回想到二十年前的往事， 阿富汗是否會再變成恐怖分子之溫床， 對全球都會構成巨大之威脅。

President Stands ‘Squarely Behind’ His Decision

President Biden addressed the nation saying that he stands ‘squarely behind’ his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan after having a presence for 20 years while admitting that, “The fall of the country to the Taliban did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.” 

The president said that, “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw our U.S. forces.”

Administration officials have blamed the Afghan security forces, maintaining that the U.S. has provided billions of dollars in support, training and equipment to them, but when “push came to shove,” they decided not to step up and fight for their country.

President Biden said, “We gave them every chance to determine their own future, but what we could not provide them with was the will to fight for that future.”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country without a succession plan and without a deal with the Taliban about the future of the country and without any support.

America’s allies who believed President Biden made the right decision to finally exit a war that the United States could not win and that no longer was in U.S.’s future interests sheds light on two questions: How much political damage has been done to America’s reputation around the world, and how can the U.S. allies be protected by the U.S. when such critical times could erupt in their own countries?

Today when we look back over the last twenty years, we really owe so much to the members of the military and other Americans who put down their lives in foreign lands for our country.