Blinken to appear before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Afghanistan

The developments came after observers accused the US of a ‘messy’ withdrawal from Afghanistan that wreaked havoc in the country resulting in the Taliban’s siege….reports Asian Lite News

Secretary Antony Blinken will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 14 to testify country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The developments came after observers accused the US of a ‘messy’ withdrawal from Afghanistan that wreaked havoc in the country resulting in the Taliban’s siege.

The hearing will mark the start of what is expected to be a lengthy public grilling for administration officials by Congress. Blinken is the only witness currently listed for the hearing, The Hill informed.

Facing criticism for the hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden’s approval rating has dropped to a new low of 43 per cent, according to a new Marist National Poll with NPR and PBS Newshour, marking the lowest rating for Biden since he took office.

File photo taken on Aug. 22, 2021 shows foreign forces entering the Kabul airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Xinhua/IANS)

According to Marist Poll, majorities of Americans disapprove of Biden handling of foreign policy and of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. A large majority has also labelled the US role in Afghanistan a “failure”.

The situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating after the Taliban seized control of the war-ravaged country. On August 15, the Afghan government fell soon after President Ashraf Ghani left the country.

Placing Presidential responsibility for the US shortcomings in Afghanistan is largely partisan, the poll highlighted that overall, Americans rank George W. Bush (36 per cent), Joe Biden (21 per cent), Barack Obama (15 per cent), and Donald Trump (12 per cent) as being most responsible. Democrats, however, list Republicans Bush (53 per cent) and Trump (22 per cent) as their top two. Republicans list Democrats Biden (38 per cent) and Obama (34 per cent) as their top two.

ALSO READ: Kabul Protest Exposes Pak Miscalculations in Afghanistan

Tagged:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *