US Leaving Afghanistan by May 1 Deadline ‘Dangerous’, House Armed Services Chair Says

23:12 GMT 30.03.2021Get short URL

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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Trying to keep former President Donald Trump’s May 1 deadline for a total US military withdrawal from Afghanistan is unrealistic and dangerous, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith said at virtual panel discussion.

Last week, President Joe Biden said it was unlikely that the US would meet the Doha pact deadline due to “tactical reasons.” Meanwhile, the Taliban have threatened to shoot any Americans who are on the ground in Afghanistan after May 1.

“It is time for us to get out of Afghanistan [but] to get them out in three and a half weeks is unrealistic. It is also downright dangerous,” Smith said on Tuesday.

It was not the job of the United States to use the US military to enforce peace and stability on a country that did not have it and the US government should get out of the business of indulging in such a “fool’s errand,” Smith, a Democrat said.

“If the Taliban take over [in Afghanistan], we can’t solve that problem. We can keep a stalemate in place but we cannot stop the Taliban from having a level of influence in the country. There is incredible expense and incredible risk in our sticking around,” Smith continued.

The real transnational threats that the United States currently faced were more likely to come from Syria, from the rest of the Middle East and from Africa than from Afghanistan, Smith said.