National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday assigned partial responsibility to military officials for the decision to use Kabul airport for evacuation efforts, as he insisted that the Biden administration “is actively working to disrupt “another terrorist attack in Afghanistan.
Asked whether President Biden should take full responsibility for the deadly debacle at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Sullivan explained that the president gave “significant weight” to advice on the operational aspect of the end of the US occupation of Afghanistan.
“You have heard the president take full responsibility for every decision he has made as commander-in-chief. He has expressly said the dollar stops with him, “he told Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.
“But let’s be real about Bagram: there is a difference between the tactical advice of commanders on the ground. What is the proper operating method to run a withdrawal? And on that, he gave great weight to the advice of the people of the countryside, a strategic decision to continue a war in a third decade with American troops fighting and dying in a civil war in another country. ”
While the call to leave Afghanistan was from Biden, exactly as the U.S. did it is the duty of senior military officials, Sullivan explained.
“On the strategic decision, this is a decision that can only be made by a president. On the tactical decision of which airport is right to have an evacuation, of course, any responsible president would give significant weight to the advice of commanders on the ground, “he said.” And his advice was to close Bagram and focus. in Kabul “.
Sullivan’s explanation came after the president explained on Thursday that he chose to close Bagram on the advice of military personnel, a decision that sparked criticism after last week’s bombings at Kabul airport.
“They concluded – the army – that Bagram didn’t have much added value, that it was much smarter to focus on Kabul,” Biden said on Thursday. “And so I followed that recommendation.”
Also Sunday, Sullivan vowed U.S. forces to try to prevent further bloodshed following Thursday’s ISIS-K suicide attack that left 13 U.S. service members and hundreds of Afghans dead – after Biden warned on Saturday afternoon another terrorist attack “is very likely in the next 24 -36 hours”.
“There are more streams of threats that we are actively working to try to disrupt and prevent,” Sullivan said.
“And, as the president has said, another attack could occur at any time. He has directed his commanders on the ground to take all possible force protection measures to ensure the safety of our troops when they complete their mission. ”
Sullivan said as many as 5,500 U.S. citizens have been evacuated from Kabul so far and authorities believe about 300 or fewer remain in the devastated country.
The national security adviser also reiterated Biden’s threat last week to “hunt” ISIS-K, saying: “The president will not stop at anything to make ISIS-K pay for their deaths. members of the U.S. service at Kabul airport. It will ensure that we get the people responsible for this, that we continue to put pressure on the group responsible for this, and that we continue to take goals off the battlefield. “
Thursday’s deadly blast raised questions about why the military abandoned Bagram’s fortified airfield, which is 40 miles from Kabul airport.
Among the critics was Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who went viral Thursday after posting a video on Facebook in which he assassinated the military leadership after the devastating suicide explosion.
“I’m not saying we should be in Afghanistan forever, but I’m saying, Some of you threw your rank on the table and said,‘ Hey, it’s a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, an air base. strategic, before evacuating everyone ‘? Did anyone do this? Schellder smoked. “And when you didn’t think about it, someone raised their hand and said, ‘Did we mess this up completely?’
“I think the Taliban demanded it [the closure of Bagram]. I think it was part of the deal that Biden made, “said Jim Hanson, a former Army special forces veterinarian.” The Taliban threatened to fight back and Biden was scared. ”