Former Vice President Mike Pence has revealed that former President Donald Trump would have chosen to keep a contingent of US troops in Afghanistan, despite the peace agreement reached with the Taliban in 2020. The agreement, made in February of that year, stated that all US troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban upheld their commitment to not attack the United States or its allies.
During an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan highlighted a new report by the US State Department under President Joe Biden’s administration. The report assigned blame to both Biden and Trump for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Brennan asked Pence if the Trump administration should share some of the responsibility. Pence responded by stating that had they been in charge during the final months of the withdrawal, the Trump administration would have kept troops in the country and changed course.
According to Pence, the blame for the situation in Afghanistan should fall on President Biden. He claimed that when the Taliban broke the peace deal and moved into Mazar-i-Sharif, Biden did nothing, setting off the catastrophic events that followed. When Brennan asked if Pence was suggesting that the Trump administration would have extended the 2020 deal, he replied that it had always been his belief that it would be prudent to maintain a contingent of American forces in Afghanistan to support efforts against terrorist elements. He suggested that under their administration, they would have likely kept a couple thousand troops in the country.
At the time the peace deal was struck, the United States had less than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. By the time Trump left office, that number had decreased to approximately 2,500. Trump’s original timeline would have seen a complete withdrawal by May 2021, but Biden later pushed the final withdrawal date back to September 11, 2021.
Pence further suggested that if the Trump administration had remained in power, the outcome in Afghanistan might have resembled their 2019 effort to withdraw troops from Syria. When Trump attempted to wind down the military mission in Syria, conflict broke out between US-allied Kurds and Turkey, a NATO member. Pence intervened and negotiated a ceasefire, resulting in a partial withdrawal instead of a complete one.
Pence maintained that the catastrophic withdrawal in Afghanistan would never have occurred under their administration because they would have held the Taliban accountable to the terms of the deal.
While Trump has not explicitly stated whether he would have kept troops in Afghanistan, he has consistently criticized “endless wars” throughout his 2024 presidential campaign. Pence, who is also eyeing a potential 2024 presidential run, has demonstrated a different perspective on war. He emphasized the importance of providing military support to the Ukrainian military and criticized the Biden administration for the delay in delivering promised Abrams tanks and F-16 fighter jets.
The differing attitudes towards war between Trump and Pence highlight potential divergences within the Republican party as they prepare for the 2024 presidential race. Trump has maintained a staunch anti-war stance, while Pence has advocated for military support in certain situations. As the party navigates these nuances, it remains to be seen how they will approach foreign policy and military decisions in the future.
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