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U.S Secretary of State in hot seat defending Afghanistan withdrawal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has defended the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan as he was grilled by members of Congress during the House hearing
Blinken is among a number of top officials who are facing heavy criticism over the decision to leave and the ease with which the Taliban regained control of the nation.
In the hearing, the Secretary of State said the US “inherited the deadline”
He was referring to the fact that former the former Trump administration set the date for American troops to depart by.
But the Biden administration is being blamed for the collapse of Afghan security forces and the rapid rise of the Taliban militant group following America’s abrupt departure.
Over the course of the 20-year war, around six thousand US servicemen and women, as well as 100-thousand Afghans, were killed, and it was at a cost of more than $2 trillion.
But as questions remain over how the US will recognise and support a Taliban-led government, Blinken says the US will continue to provide humanitarian support.