It appears Biden’s State Department is doing very little to aid private rescue attempts to extract Americans and Afghan allies from the Taliban-controlled region of Afghanistan.
This is causing prominent lawmakers to publically call out Former Vice President Biden over “inaction.”
Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) took to Twitter to express his frustration with how the Biden Administration is handling private rescue missions, calling out the “delay and inaction.”
THREAD: My staff & I have worked night & day to secure the safe passage of two planes waiting in Mazar-e Sharif to take American citizens, at-risk Afghan allies, & their families to safety. 1/6
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) September 6, 2021
Reports are coming out of the region indicating that multiple private planes have been unable to leave Afghanistan due to the State Department’s inaction. Now, those organizing the extractions are having to work with Taliban leaders to gain clearance.
Blumenthal went on to say, “I haven’t yet spoken publicly about these efforts because we worried that heightened attention would only escalate tensions & put these people at even greater risk of being targeted. I have been deeply frustrated, even furious, at our government’s delay & inaction. There will be plenty of time to seek accountability for the inexcusable bureaucratic red tape that stranded so many of our Afghan allies.”
He went on to say, “For now, my singular focus remains getting these planes in the air & safely to our airbase in Doha, where they have already been cleared to land. I expect the White House & State Department to do everything in their power—absolutely everything—to make this happen. These are Americans citizens & Afghans who risked everything for our country. We cannot leave them behind.”
A Biden official responded to these reports, citing a lack of resources available to aid these private rescue missions. As one Biden official said, “We do not have personnel on the ground, we do not have air assets in the country, we do not control the airspace — whether over Afghanistan or elsewhere in the region. We understand the concern that many people are feeling as they try to facilitate further charter and other passage out of Afghanistan.”
