Blinken: Afghanistan Withdrawal Measures Helped Avoid Repeating Mistakes in Sudan, Israel, and Lebanon
Washington – Sudanhorizon
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the precautionary measures taken by the U.S. government during and after the withdrawal from Afghanistan helped prevent the repetition of similar mistakes in subsequent crises in Sudan, Israel, and Lebanon.
Speaking in a heated session before the Joint Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday—later published on the State Department’s website—Blinken emphasised that the U.S. implemented unprecedented procedures for evacuating military personnel and civilians, which have since served as a template for avoiding many mistakes in emergency situations.
Blinken referred specifically to the early and rapid evacuations of American and Western nationals, along with Sudanese collaborators, from Sudan in the initial hours and days following April 15, 2023. This swift action, he noted, stemmed from a firm belief among Western governments that Sudan’s Armed Forces were on the brink of total collapse, leading to widespread chaos and insecurity. The situation was compared to Afghanistan, where the military’s collapse allowed insurgents to seize power.
Reflecting on the Afghanistan withdrawal, Blinken admitted the fall of the Afghan government and military was unexpected but defended the large-scale evacuation of thousands of U.S. soldiers, citizens, and Afghan collaborators. He highlighted the provision of safe havens for hundreds of thousands of Afghan families and partners.
He further explained that the State Department has since undertaken over 40 concrete initiatives to guide responses to future crises, which proved effective in emergencies like those in Sudan, Israel, and Lebanon.
One recommendation from a committee led by a senior diplomat, according to Blinken, was to avoid direct intervention on the ground where possible, leaving others to act as proxies. He emphasised: “Even as we address the areas where we fell short, I firmly believe that the President’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was right. American forces are no longer fighting and dying in Afghanistan. The American people are safer and more secure.”
Blinken added that the withdrawal contradicted many of the more pessimistic predictions, such as fears that Afghanistan would once again become a haven for terrorists. “In fact, Al-Qaeda—the group that attacked us on September 11—has not regrouped in Afghanistan. And in August 2022, we conducted a precise strike in downtown Kabul that killed its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, without any U.S. boots on the ground.”
He expressed regret for the fate of Afghan collaborators and American citizens who lost their lives during the evacuation from Afghanistan and pledged to facilitate the release of others still in Afghanistan more than three years after the withdrawal.
According to reports accompanying the session, Blinken’s speech was repeatedly interrupted, prompting the committee chair to threaten to summon Congressional police to restore order and remove the disruptors.