United States of America eSeries: 'We know the window of opportunity is closing'

'We know the window of opportunity is closing'

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August 27, 2021

Stephen Collinson and Caitlin Hu

'We know that the window of opportunity is closing'

The danger in Kabul has not passed.

After the carnage of twin bombings that killed 13 US service members and more than 60 Afghans near Kabul's international airport, the US military has warned of more to come. That means US forces as well as civilians desperately seeking to escape the Taliban face an extremely dangerous few days in the crosshairs of the Afghan affiliate of ISIS before evacuation operations end. President Joe Biden's deadline to leave is Tuesday.

The US President had repeatedly warned of possible attacks by the group, known as ISIS-K, so news of the blasts came not as a shock but with a sickly sense of the inevitable. Biden appeared torn between grief and a desire to express resolve as he addressed Americans on television on Thursday evening, hailing the dead US troops as heroes and vowing to hunt down ISIS-K leaders and make them "pay" — although how that can be done with no troops in Afghanistan is unclear.

Biden also pledged that the United States would not be deterred by terrorists and would end the evacuation mission on its own terms. But there is a contradiction in the President's message. He vowed to keep on evacuating American citizens, permanent residents and Afghans who had risked their lives to help US soldiers and officials during 20 years of war. But without extending his deadline to leave, it's likely that many of them will be left behind outside the gates of the now extra-fortified airport.

The President spoke of possible efforts to extract Afghans who hold special immigrant visas after US forces leave. But given Taliban control of the country and his reluctance to redeploy troops there, such promises will be hard to honor.

Amid such human tragedy, it's rather crass to speculate on Biden's political standing. But his reputation for competence, on which he ran for office, depended on avoiding losses of American life on the way out of Afghanistan. Now Republicans have pounced, ruthlessly exploiting the tragedy in a bid to debilitate his presidency.

Still, Thursday's attacks did not appear to shift Biden's core belief that it was time for Americans to come home. They even reinforced it. "Ladies and gentlemen, it was time to end a 20-year war," he said.

'We know that the window of opportunity is closing'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday attempted to reassure those who have not yet been able to access evacuation flights from Kabul – though it's unclear how they can be rescued after the airlifts end. "We know that the window of opportunity is closing. Tens of thousands of people have been rescued, but I want to say again today: We will not forget those people who could not be rescued by the air bridge. Rather we will do everything we can to enable their evacuation," Merkel said Thursday. "We are in negotiations with the Taliban, being carried out by the foreign ministry, especially Ambassador Potzel, and there will be international coordination as to how to proceed."

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'Blood on his hands'

In Washington, there was barely any interval between the bombs exploding in Kabul and attempts by many Republicans to turn the tragedy into a political catastrophe for Biden.

Many of those who had no problem with then-President Donald Trump's capitulation to the Taliban in a 2020 withdrawal deal are now calling on Biden to resign. Attacking the President is a free hit, allowing GOP leaders to play to their voters. But with a few exceptions, it was striking how ugly modern politics didn't allow Washington hostilities to be put on hold for even a few hours.

"Joe Biden has blood on his hands," tweeted Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the number three House Republican, adding that "this horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Biden's weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief."

Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan tweeted: "Americans are dying at the hands of President Biden's catastrophic withdrawal from #Afghanistan," and Republican House member Tom Rice of South Carolina -- who voted to impeach Trump over the January 6 insurrection -- now wants to get rid of his successor, calling on Biden to "resign and turn over the job to someone who can handle it."

Even the President's resignation would not satisfy GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who has called for Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley all to "resign or face impeachment and removal from office."

It is impossible in the emotion of the moment to forecast the full political reverberations of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the manner in which it was carried out. Hundreds of political storms will play out between now and congressional elections in 14 months and the next presidential vote in three years. But there's no doubt Republicans will use the deaths of more than a dozen US service members on Thursday to fuel a months- and even years-long narrative that Biden is incompetent, weak and can't keep Americans safe.

Thanks for sticking with us through the week.

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina at the Elysee. Merkel hosts the G20 Compact with Africa Conference in Berlin. And US Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, deputy commander of US Strategic Command, delivers online remarks on the threat of Chinese and Russian nukes, and what the US is doing about it.

On Saturday, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off. Civil rights organizations plan the "March On for Voting Rights" to decry efforts by some state lawmakers to limit voting access.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia's school year begins, and protesters against the Covid-19 vaccine gather in Santa Monica, California.