Rep. Mills Op-ed: President Biden's Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal

For Immediate Release: 

March 22, 2023

Media Contact: MillsPress@mail.house.gov

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Fox News published an op-ed by Rep. Cory Mills (FL-07) which details the first successful overland rescue mission in Afghanistan. Rep. Mills discussed the plan and tactics his team used when rescuing four Americans during President Biden’s botched withdrawal that cost 13 service memberstheir lives. Rep. Mills, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, pledges full accountability and transparency for the American people.

See the full article here.

 See excerpts below:

 I was part of the team that conducted the first successful overland rescue mission of Americans from Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Against all odds, our team saved four American citizens – a woman named Mariam and her three children – even with the Biden administration working against our efforts. 

 ….

 Mariam’s family had been told again and again to go to the Kabul airport, or to other rendezvous points that would have left them at the mercy of the Taliban, because the Biden administration allowed our enemies to provide the ring of "security" around the airport, and American evacuees had to face dangerous Taliban checkpoints along the way to supposedly safe evacuation points. 

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 This is just one story we were able to share. Dozens of Americans were made a promise to never be left behind, but arbitrary dates and political optics, not the safety of Americans, were the priority. I could have had 24 more Americans on my plane, but our government chose to prevent our landing and safe air evacuation, even when we had the necessary landing approvals and aircraft designation. The runway was open, time allocated (one hour on tarmac) and the entire team was ready. 

 ….

  While Democrats seek to downplay the tragic consequences of our botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, I lived the actual experience on the ground. This action made us look weak on the world stage and has led to increased aggression by our adversaries because we have lost credibility as a global leader. As we know, weakness invites aggression. 

 ….

 Never has he been more wrong than in his handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The American people deserve answers about what went wrong, and my colleagues and I in Congress are going to make sure we get those answers.

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