Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is sending a warning about President Joe Bidenâs plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
During a CNN appearance on Sunday, Clinton was asked about Bidenâs decision. Calling it a âdifficultâ decision, Clinton said there are âconsequencesâ that are âboth foreseen and unintended of staying and of leaving.â
âOur government has to focus on two huge consequences,â Clinton continued, noting the first is âthe potential collapse of the Afghan government and a takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.â
She added, âProbably with a resumption of civil war in certain parts of the country, but a largely Taliban-run government at some point in the not-too-distant future.â
The former secretary of state noted that it is important to figure out how to âhelp and protectâ the âmany thousands of Afghans who worked with the U.S. and NATO ⊠who stood up and spoke out for womenâs rights and human rights.â
Clinton also added, âThere will also be, I fear, a huge refugee outflow,â adding, âAnd of course, the second big set of problems revolves around a resumption of activities by global terrorist groups, most particularly Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.â
âItâs one thing to pull out troops that have been supporting security in Afghanistan, supporting the Afghan Military, leaving it pretty much to fend for itself, but we canât afford to walk away from the consequences of that decision.â
The U.S. has started the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, CNN reported.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley spoke about the September 11 deadline for the withdrawal, telling reporters, âItâs possible. We have a window really.â
He added, âThe September timeframe is a âno later thanâ time. Itâs not a âno earlier thanâ time. We will conduct operations that are coordinated, synchronized, protect the force, and weâre going to do it in a responsible way. Weâll do that as fast as we can, but we want to do it as fast as itâs responsible, coordinated, synchronized with our allies from NATO.â
Milley also warned that there could be âbad possible outcomesâ for Afghanistan as U.S. troops are withdrawn.
