When John Kirby claimed that Russia and China must have been in awe over the United States’ speed in exiting Afghanistan, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade couldn’t hide his exasperation.
Kirby, a former Pentagon press secretary, and the current coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, argued that the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has been widely considered to be severely botched, was so successful and well-executed that it probably caused global powers Russia and China to “marvel” over its efficiency and success.
“Fox & Friends” host Ainsley Earhardt began, asking a question about Afghanistan and whether or not foreign powers, specifically China and Russia, may have seen the botched withdrawal and taken notes for possible action.
“Let’s talk about the Defense Department’s annual report, because it is saying that Biden’s fumbled withdrawal from Afghanistan was a propaganda gift to China,” she said, asking, “Do you agree with that?”
“No, I do not,” Kirby responded. “And I don’t know that that’s the Pentagon’s assessment that it was a propaganda gift to China.”
Kirby proceeded to claim that American efforts to evacuate Afghanistan, while its government collapsed and the Taliban reappeared in force across the country, should be held up as a successful operation.
“If anything, nations like China and Russia took a look at what we did in Afghanistan, and we’ve talked about this many many times over the last year, and had to marvel at the speed, the efficiency, and effectiveness that a very small number —” Kirby continued, before an exasperated Kilmeade interrupted, responding, “Oh, please.”
“— A very small number of troops, Brian, you listen to me now, hear me out,” Kirby pressed on, adding, “A small number of troops were able to move that many Afghans safely out of that country. No other nation in the world can do that.”
The issue with the withdrawal, however, did not come with whether or not a small number of American troops were capable of executing nigh-impossible missions at record pace. The issue came with the question of whether or not it was necessary at all.
Army veteran Alex Plitsas previously explained in an interview with The Daily Wire that, had different strategic choices been made, such as keeping Bagram Air Base open or attempting to evacuate allies before abandoning military strongholds, the outcome of the withdrawal may have been significantly improved.
Plitsas has been a member and organizer for an operation known as Digital Dunkirk, which uses military and civilian connections to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies from the country, as those left behind face threats from the Taliban.
“The evacuation operation in Kabul was a tactical success and a strategic failure,” he said. “Yes, the military was able to rapidly deploy and move people. The problem was that it largely wasn’t the people that we intended to evacuate and we left nearly 200,000 people who we made promises to as a nation. That was a strategic failure and yes, our adversaries see that.”
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