Both political parties are looking to blame one another for the chaotic result of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan leading the country to fall into the hands of the Taliban. According to MSNBC’s Mehdi Hassan, the blame should also be pinned on former President George W. Bush as well.
This week, the MSNBC host argued that the former president is also just as responsible for the chaos that has now occurred in the war-torn nation and should not escape accountability. Hassan noted that the invasion of Afghanistan was directed by Bush under his eight-year administration, setting the country into a 20-year conflict with the insurgent group and ending in the Taliban takeover.
Hassan added that while disgraced former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are taking criticism from both parties over the withdrawal, Bush may have played a larger role in the crisis than both his successors.
“That the Bush administration failed to end the war early on is one of the many gross mistakes they made, including allowing Osama bin Laden to escape Afghanistan,” said Hassan.
“It all started with the guy who launched the so-called War on Terror, George W. Bush,” Hassan added. “What happened on Bush’s watch in Afghanistan was atrocious, perhaps criminal!”
The former president was also criticized for his latest statement weighing in on the withdrawal of the US and NATO troops on the grounds of Afghanistan as the Taliban had taken over Kabul. Bush and his wife, former first lady Laura Bush, released a joint statement expressing sadness over the fates of the Afghan people who may be forced to fear for their lives at the hands of the insurgent group.
“Laura and I have been watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness. Our hearts are heavy for both the Afghan people who have suffered so much and for the Americans and NATO allies who have sacrificed so much,” said Bush.
However, many critics pointed out that he started the very war that lasted for 20 years in the first place. “Former US President Bush expresses ‘deep sadness’ over Afghan situation that he is almost entirely responsible for,” said one commenter.