President Joe Biden’s message to a stranded Afghan interpreter who was critical in rescuing the then-senator during a snowstorm may not be what he wants to hear as he hides from the Taliban.
Biden and his administration remain committed to evacuating “our Afghan partners,” according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki. The problem is their extraction depends on U.S. relations with the Taliban as the mission transitions into its “diplomatic phase.”
Recommended Stories
“Our message to him is thank you for fighting by our side for the last 20 years. Thank you for the role you played in helping a number of my favorite people out of a snowstorm and for all of the work you did,” Psaki told reporters Tuesday. “We will get you out, we will honor your service, and we’re committed to doing exactly that.”
BIDEN’S AND DEMOCRATS’ 2022 HOPES DEPENDS ON VOTERS FORGETTING ABOUT BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL
The Afghan interpreter, Mohammed, implored Biden not to “forget me here” in an interview detailing how, as a 36-year-old, he supported the U.S. Army’s rescue of Biden from a valley in 2008 after his Black Hawk helicopter was forced to land because of the weather.
Fewer than 200 Americans are estimated to still be in Afghanistan. On Tuesday, Psaki reiterated the White House’s commitment to extricating “every American citizen.” But that commitment seemed murkier regarding Afghan allies and Afghans at risk of persecution under the Taliban.
In his first public remarks since the last U.S. military plane flew out of Kabul in the early hours of Aug. 31 local time, Biden defended his decision to withdraw military personnel and equipment from Afghanistan, despite tens of thousands of people hoping to flee. He contended he did not intend “to extend this forever war” or “forever exit.”
Psaki was similarly defensive in her first briefing, repeating the United States evacuated more than 120,000 people in a little more than two weeks.
“That was a circumstance he walked into,” she said. “And frankly, there’s a little bit of selective memory loss from some of the people who served in the last administration about the circumstances.”
Biden has also been criticized by some of the family members of the 13 troops who died in last week’s Kabul airport terrorist attack. They claim he seemed distracted last weekend during the dignified transfer of their bodies at Dover Air Force Base, alleging he checked his watch during the service.
“He is grateful to their sons and daughters, the sacrifice they made to the country,” Psaki said Tuesday. “He knows firsthand what it’s like to lose a child.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Of course, they have the right to convey whatever they would like,” she added. “He was deeply impacted by these family members, who he met just two days ago. He talks about them frequently in meetings.”
