Dear John,
The ramifications from the Afghanistan withdrawal will be felt for many years to come. I, along with other members of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) brought our concerns to both the previous and current Administration about a rapid withdrawal without legislative guardrails.
So, what has happened?
And we still have NO condemnation from the current Administration regarding the new radical Islamic terrorist-led Afghanistan government.
In fact, let’s look at the new Afghanistan Government, which has ZERO women and SIX terrorists:
- Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, one of the Taliban’s founders who is on a United Nations Security Council sanctions list, was named prime minister.
- Sirajuddin Haqqani, the head of the Haqqani Network — a US-designated terror group in Pakistan and Afghanistan with close ties to al-Qaida — was named interior minister. He is currently on the FBI’s most-wanted list, and there is a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head.
- The FBI’s most-wanted list says Haqqani is wanted for “questioning in connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed six people, including an American citizen.”
- Four of the Guantanamo detainees whom former President Obama released in exchange for former U.S. Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl in 2014 now hold senior positions in Afghanistan’s government: Khairullah Khairkhwa, Norullah Noori, Abdul Haq Wasiq, and Mohammad Fazl.
- On Tuesday, the Taliban announced that Khairkhwa would serve as acting minister for information and culture, Noori would serve as acting minister of borders and tribal affairs, Wasiq would serve as acting director of intelligence, and Fazl would serve as deputy defense minister.
- Wasiq will reprise his role as the Taliban’s intelligence director, previously serving in the role prior to 9/11 terrorist attacks on America.
- Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), has noted that Fazl will also return to his role as deputy defense minister, stating, “U.S. officials found that Fazl worked with senior al Qaeda personnel, including Abdel Hadi al Iraqi, one of Osama bin Laden’s chief lieutenants.”
There’s no question, the Biden administration HAS to act NOW and refuse to recognize the new Taliban government and prohibit aid to the Taliban from the U.S. or international financial organizations.
As always, I am working hard in Congress to ensure the safety and well-being of those in Nebraska’s 2nd district. May God Bless you all.
Please reach out to my office at (402) 938-0300 or visit my website at bacon.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Don Bacon
