U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)—the first female combat veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate, a veteran of the Global War on Terror, and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee—released the following statement after U.S. servicemembers were killed during attacks in Kabul.
“First and foremost, my heart breaks for the families and loved ones of our brave troops who were killed in action. My prayers are with those who are grieving this loss of life and with our servicemembers who were wounded in these attacks.
“It is abundantly clear those wishing to do the U.S. harm—Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Haqqani network, and the Taliban—are still in Afghanistan. The chaos, and now catastrophic bloodshed, that has ensued in Afghanistan over the last few weeks was brought on by the president’s haphazard and hasty withdrawal of U.S. forces. Pulling our troops out before ensuring the safety of American citizens, our partners and allies, and our military equipment was simply incompetent. Leaving the safety of Americans and our allies to the Taliban has been foolish and ill-advised from the start. The decisions by President Biden and his administration have undermined our national security and made America appear as a weak and unreliable partner.
“President Biden has a choice: quit and leave innocent Americans and those who have willingly fought alongside us for 20 years to suffer in Afghanistan; or, fulfill his obligation and engage the might of the greatest military in the history of the world to bring Americans and our allies and partners to safety and project America’s strength on the global stage.”
