U.S. Sen. Tim Scott tweeted that the Biden administration failed to hold up its end of the bargain in evacuating all American citizens from Afghanistan. | File
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott tweeted that the Biden administration failed to hold up its end of the bargain in evacuating all American citizens from Afghanistan. | File
A new poll showed veterans in South Carolina did not support how President Joe Biden handled the final withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan — ending the 20-year war that resulted in the deaths of thousands of American troops.
According to the Facebook survey of veterans, 197 respondents, approximately 94.7%, disapproved of the exit strategy that took place in August; 4.8% said they supported the decision, and 0.5% had no opinion.
"Say what you mean and mean what you say. This is something I learned growing up in South Carolina. There are hundreds of American citizens & green card holders stranded in Afghanistan because this administration didn’t honor its word," U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) tweeted.
Nationally, the social media poll targeting veterans in seven states found that 93.4% of respondents did not believe that the withdrawal honored those who served and gave their lives in the conflict. The poll took place Sept. 1-9, and received 769 responses.
The poll results are similar to the opinion of most Americans when it comes to how the military withdrew from Afghanistan, according to a recent poll from the Washington Examiner, which reported that 69% of citizens disapproved of the exit strategy.
Part of the criticism the Biden administration faced around the withdrawal is that many Americans and Afghanistan allies were left behind, along with the dramatic photograph of Afghans clinging to U.S. military transport planes while they were traveling on the runway at the international airport in Kabul.
Before the final pullout, the State Department was not able to assist all the Americans stranded in Afghanistan and instructed people not to call the embassy for help, stating in an official advisory, “Do not call the U.S. Embassy in Kabul for details or updates about the flight," The Wall Street Journal reported.
In a set of prewritten remarks, Biden stated, “I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you. The truth is: This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.”
However, a former CIA expert says Biden’s statement is “misleading at best” as his agency and others anticipated this scenario and briefed the president months ago, justsecurity.org reported.
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