Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that President Biden should extend his self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline for pulling the remaining U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.
The Kentucky Republican said the Biden administration should send more military personnel into Afghanistan to protect American citizens and Afghan allies seeking to get out of the country.
“This is one of the greatest foreign policy disasters in American history,” Mr. McConnell said on Fox News. “The decision to pull out was a gargantuan mistake, in my opinion. Having made that decision, you’d have to conclude these guys couldn’t organize a two-car funeral.
“The president needs to forget about the Aug 31 deadline.”
Mr. Biden has faced stinging criticism over the unfolding chaos in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have swooped back into power.
Mr. Biden said over the weekend that he was considering extending the deadline for removing all American troops from Afghanistan. But the Taliban, which has established checkpoints around the Kabul airport, has warned of “consequences” if the U.S. stays past the end of the month.
SEE ALSO: Biden sent CIA director to meet with Taliban leader as withdrawal deadline looms
Mr. McConnell said the Biden administration must not let the Taliban dictate its decision-making.
“The Taliban should not be allowed to tell us how long we are there to get our personnel out,” he said. “That’s our decision — not theirs. They can cooperate if they want to. If they don’t, we have to do what is necessary to get our people out.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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