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Trump: Unlike Afghanistan, US took all equipment from Iraq
Trump said the withdrawal from Iraq marked the end of what he described as a costly military involvement, adding that he had set a clear mission and instructed commanders to complete it without allowing the US presence to become permanent.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday compared the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq with the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying military equipment had been left behind in Afghanistan, while US forces leaving Iraq took their equipment with them.
Speaking at a White House event, Trump referred to the final departure of US-led coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq, which marked the end of the US military mission against Daesh in Iraq.
“I said, take a little longer. Take everyone. We left all of the equipment, if you remember, in Afghanistan. Everything was left behind,” Trump said.
“I said, ‘I want every screw taken. If there’s a screw lying on the ground, take it. If we have a canvas tent, take it.’ We took everything,” he added.
He also mentioned the August 2021 attack at Kabul airport that killed 13 US soldiers.
Trump said he had become acquainted with the families of the US service members killed in the attack and also highlighted those who were seriously wounded.
“What happened to those—to their children should never have been allowed to happen,” he said, adding that 48 wounded service members were severely injured and “never get mentioned.”
Trump said the withdrawal from Iraq marked the end of what he described as a costly military involvement, adding that he had set a clear mission and instructed commanders to complete it without allowing the US presence to become permanent.
The US military announced on Wednesday that its forces and equipment had completed an orderly departure from Erbil Air Base, formally ending Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. The US-led mission began in 2014 to fight Daesh after the group seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. The US is continuing its counter-Daesh mission in Syria from a headquarters in Jordan.
Trump said the US had entered Iraq to fight the Islamic State and that the group no longer controlled a territorial “caliphate.”
“We came to fight a caliphate, and there is no longer a caliphate, so we are going home indeed,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has expressed serious concern over reports that the United States plans to transfer some Afghan migrants to Pakistan, urging Washington to act responsibly and cautiously.
In a statement, the ministry said it had received reports that the US intends to send Afghan nationals who have so far been unable to obtain legal residency documents in the United States to Pakistan.
The ministry said the Islamic Emirate considers the protection of the rights of all Afghan citizens its responsibility and stressed that Afghans, wherever they are in the world, should be treated in accordance with applicable laws, accepted principles and respect for human dignity.
It called on the United States to ensure that any decisions or actions concerning Afghan nationals are taken through clear bilateral understanding, necessary coordination and with due consideration for their rights and legitimate requests.
The ministry also said third countries should not make deals over the fate of another country’s citizens in exchange for temporary benefits or other considerations at the expense of human dignity, individual rights and accepted humanitarian standards.
The statement added that the Islamic Emirate remains committed to constructive engagement and cooperation to facilitate the safe, dignified and voluntary return of Afghan citizens.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that he could have won the war in Afghanistan within three weeks, criticising previous American presidents for failing to pursue victory during the country’s longest military conflict.
Speaking at a midterm election campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, Trump said successive US administrations had failed to fight wars with the clear objective of winning.
“Afghanistan, years and years. Then, we never fight to win. We don’t fight to win. We fight to tie,” Trump said, referring to the US military involvement in Afghanistan.
He claimed he could have brought the war to an end within a few weeks, saying: “I could have won that war in three weeks.”
Trump also made a similar claim about the Vietnam War, saying he could have won it in one week.
The United States launched its military campaign in Afghanistan in October 2001, following the September 11 attacks. The conflict continued for nearly 20 years before US forces completed their withdrawal in August 2021.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres says journalists around the world continue to pay a heavy price for telling the truth, calling for justice and accountability for crimes committed against media workers.
In a message marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, Guterres warned that targeting journalists and silencing their reporting deprives the public of access to information and makes everyone a victim.
“When journalists are targeted and their reporting is extinguished, it makes victims of us all,” he said, stressing the need for justice.
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