Former National Security Adviser for President Trump H.R. McMaster spoke with Joe Rogan recently and opined on the failure of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
McMaster, who was National Security Adviser at the time, says this speech was what the approach to Afghanistan should have been. An objective to withdrawal with no timeline with proper assistance to the Afghan government to include air support, troops, and intelligence.
Most importantly, Trump would designate the Taliban as the enemy, something Barack Obama reversed in the early 2010’s
However, this strategy never came to pass. Following McMaster’s exit in early 2018 advisers to President Trump pushed for an end to the endless war.
Biden made matters worse with the steps he took once taking office, putting the Afghan government in a no-win situation.
First, according to McMaster, the withdrawal of the United States was negotiated in Doha, Qatar with the Taliban Political Committee and without the Afghan government. A move, he says, destroyed the Afghan government’s legitimacy.
Second, a secret agreement stripped the Afghans of critical intelligence and air support.
Finally, the United States forced the Afghans to release 5,000 “heinous” terrorists from prison, while the Taliban attacked a maternity hospital and expectant mothers.
McMaster bluntly stated that the Biden administration created a situation where it was no surprise that the Afghan government would collapse, and any attempt to say otherwise is a lie.
