Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that President Joe Biden is “to be commended” for “the actions he has taken” as the Taliban advances into Kabul, Afghanistan.
Pelosi released a statement praising the “wisdom of [Biden’s] actions.” The White House released a statement Aug. 14 detailing the administration’s decision to send 5,000 additional U.S. troops to help with the evacuation of personnel at the U.S.’ embassy and to support then-Afghani President Ashraf Ghani.
“The Taliban must know that the world is watching its actions. We are deeply concerned about reports regarding the Taliban’s brutal treatment of all Afghans, especially women and girls. The U.S., the international community, and the Afghan government must do everything we can to protect women and girls from inhumane treatment by the Taliban,” Pelosi said.
The President is to be commended for the clarity of purpose of his statement on Afghanistan and his action. The Taliban must know the world is watching its actions. We are concerned about reports regarding the Taliban’s brutal treatment of all Afghans, especially women and girls.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 15, 2021
“Any political settlement that the Afghans pursue to avert bloodshed must include having women at the table. The fate of women and girls in Afghanistan is critical to the future of Afghanistan. As we strive to assist women, we must recognize that their voices are important, and all must listen to them for solutions, respectful of their culture. There is bipartisan support to assist the women and girls of Afghanistan,” she continued.
Pelosi concluded her statement by saying, “We join the President in acknowledging the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and their families.” (RELATED: Taliban Fighters Enter Kabul After Afghan President Flees)
The Taliban quickly took over major cities throughout Afghanistan within the past week and breached the capital, Kabul, early Sunday, The Associated Press reported.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” Sunday that the Afghan military should be blamed for “being unable to defend the country.”
“The fact of the matter is we’ve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country. And that has happened more quickly than we anticipated,” Blinken continued.