Kelly, Guest, and Palazzo send joint letter to President while Wicker sends his own.
Mississippi’s Republican delegation in D.C. is expressing their disdain for President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in the haphazard manner that has left thousands of Americans and U.S. allies vulnerable to the cruel treatment of the Taliban.
All three of the Magnolia State’s Republican Congressmen – Trent Kelly (MS-1), Michael Guest (MS-3), and Steven Palazzo (MS-4) – sent a joint letter to President Biden on Tuesday expressing their disapproval of his decision not to extend the Afghanistan withdrawal deadline and encouraging his Administration to extend the deployment of U.S. resources and military forces until all Americans and American allies have been evacuated or deemed safe.
“We are dismayed at reports that you are not planning to extend your self-imposed August 31, 2021, deadline to withdraw United States troops from Afghanistan. As the world watches America end our twenty-year mission in Afghanistan, it is critically important that we not complete the withdrawal of our troops until American citizens and our Afghan allies are evacuated or brought to safety,” the Congressman write. “We are deeply concerned about the ability to meet our evacuation and rescue mission ahead of this date. We support the Administration’s recent statements highlighting the priority of bringing American citizens home and committing to keep our troops in Afghanistan until Americans are removed from the country. We stand ready to assist in this effort.”
We must not abandon Americans or American allies to the Taliban. @CongPalazzo, @RepTrentKelly, and I sent a letter to President Biden urging him to rethink his disastrous decision not to extend the Afghanistan withdrawal deadline. pic.twitter.com/0FWcl2bDCL
— Congressman Michael Guest (@RepMichaelGuest) August 24, 2021
READ MORE: Congressman Guest weighs in on crisis in Afghanistan after President Biden decides not to extend evacuation date
The letter was sent in response to reports that President Biden was not planning to extend the August 31st withdrawal deadline imposed by his Administration and follows reports of former Afghani interpreters being turned away at the Kabul Airport as the time to finalize the evacuations narrows.
Also on Tuesday, senior U.S. Senator Roger Wicker sent his own letter to the President urging him to use every available resource to secure the safe evacuation of American citizens and partners from Afghanistan.
“Like many Americans, I urge you not to allow the Taliban to set the timetable for evacuations. The United States should not answer to terrorists, and it is deeply troubling that the terms of U.S. evacuations are being set by the Taliban,” Wicker wrote in the letter.
Wicker also called on the President to uphold his vow to get Americans and Afghan allies out.
“I implore you to use all means necessary — including military force outside the Kabul airport — to ensure these persons are brought out safely,” Wicker said.
Frank Corder
