McConnell Slams Biden Plan to Pull Out of Afghanistan: ‘Precipitously’ Withdrawing Troops a ‘Grave Mistake’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to warn against “precipitously” pulling American troops out of the 20-year-old War on Terror.

“New reporting suggests the Biden administration plans to turn tail and abandon the fight in Afghanistan,” McConnell said in an afternoon floor speech. “Precipitously withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan is a grave mistake. It is a retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished, and an abdication of American leadership.”

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that President Joe Biden plans to withdraw troops no later than Sept. 11, exactly 20 years after the terrorist attacks that inspired the War on Terror. The plan keeps 3,000 troops in the region beyond a May 1 withdrawal deadline that had been set by former President Donald Trump.

Despite broad, long-standing support across the political spectrum for withdrawing troops, a threat assessment released by the intelligence community on Tuesday said it was likely the Taliban would still a pose a threat to the country’s democratic government in the event the U.S. leaves. “The Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support,” the assessment said.

McConnell noted that opposition to departing from the region was equally bipartisan.

“Leaders in both parties, including me, offered criticism when the prior administration floated the concept of a reckless withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan,” McConnell said. “Those same voices in both parties should be equally concerned about the Biden administration’s announcement today.”

Watch above via the Senate.