Former Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill, who killed al-Qaeda leader Osama in Laden in 2011, is ripping both President Joe Biden and top military brass for the unfolding debacle in Afghanistan.
Recalling that Biden has admitted being against the bin Laden raid during the Obama presidency, ONeill laid into the now-commander in chief for his performance in office.
“Joe Biden opposed the raid to kill bin Laden,” O’Neill wrote on Twitter on Sunday, one of numerous tweets O’Neill posted attacking Biden’s administration. “At least he lost Afghanistan in 7 months.”
Joe Biden opposed the raid to kill bin Laden. At least he lost Afghanistan in 7 months.
— Robert J. O'Neill (@mchooyah) August 15, 2021
“My friends who died for no reason would be disgusted with this administration,” the former special operator also wrote.
My friends who died for no reason would be disgusted with this administration.
— Robert J. O'Neill (@mchooyah) August 16, 2021
Additionally, O’Neill tagged the Joint Chiefs of Staff official Twitter account, asking, “Has this dude quit yet?” apparently referring to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.
Has this dude quit yet? @thejointstaff
— Robert J. O'Neill (@mchooyah) August 16, 2021
“There are Afghans falling to their deaths off of our retreating aircraft. Has @thejointstaff resigned yet?” O’Neill asked.
There are Afghans falling to their deaths off of our retreating aircraft. Has @thejointstaff resigned yet?
— Robert J. O'Neill (@mchooyah) August 16, 2021
O’Neill summed up his feelings in one five-word tweet:
So, @POTUS is a disaster.
— Robert J. O'Neill (@mchooyah) August 16, 2021
Millions of Americans agree.
In remarks from the White House on Monday, Biden sought to defend his administration. However, he offered straw man arguments and half-truths, such as claiming the Afghan troops were unwilling to fight.
“American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves. We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong — incredibly well equipped — a force larger in size than the militaries of many of our NATO allies,” Biden said.
President Biden: “American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.” https://t.co/1iwS8Qcw4z pic.twitter.com/801haF1xwY
— ABC News (@ABC) August 16, 2021
The Associated Press reported 66,000 Afghan national military and police have died during the war, compared to the nearly 2,500 Americans soldiers have given their lives.
So the Afghans were clearly willing to fight.
Washington Post columnist and former President George W. Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen called out Biden for this lie.
“Since Jan 2015, when Afghans took over combat operations, 53-57,000 Afghan soldiers have died in combat fighting the Taliban-including more than 2,600 this year. Afghans with US air support held off the Taliban for more than six years. You took away the air support,” Theissen wrote in a Twitter post.
This is a lie. Since Jan 2015, when Afghans took over combat operations, 53-57,000 Afghan soldiers have died in combat fighting the Taliban-including more than 2,600 this year. Afghans with US air support held off the Taliban for more than six years. You took away the air support https://t.co/ZxpY3ESICR
— Marc Thiessen (@marcthiessen) August 16, 2021
Biden also stated: “When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban. Under his agreement, U.S. forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 — just a little over three months after I took office.”
But Biden certainly felt no compunction to keep the Trump-era approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline, or continue with Trump’s deal with Mexico to stem the flow of migrants across the southern border.
Trump has issued many statements about the disaster in Afghanistan, including saying, “[I]f I were now President, the world would find that our withdrawal from Afghanistan would be a conditions-based withdrawal.”
“I personally had discussions with top Taliban leaders whereby they understood what they are doing now would not have been acceptable. It would have been a much different and much more successful withdrawal, and the Taliban understood that better than anyone. What is going on now is not acceptable,” he added.
In other words, Trump did not view May 1 as a hard deadline.
Even CNN host Jake Tapper dinged Biden for muddying the issue at hand.
“[Biden] keeps trying to change the subject from this inept withdrawal. Let’s be frank here, if you withdraw 2,500 troops then you have to send 6,000 back, that’s not planned. That’s on its face an example of a failure,” Tapper said.
CNN’s Jake Tapper on Afghanistan:
"[Biden] keeps trying to change the subject from this inept withdrawal. Let’s be frank here, if you withdraw 2,500 troops then you have to send 6,000 back, that’s not planned. That’s on it's face an example of a failure.” pic.twitter.com/O5Gq7nbLUb
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 16, 2021
Biden’s withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has been an unmitigated failure.
O’Neill and other vets who served in the region — all Americans for that matter — have a right to be furious.
This is the worst loss in American history. Our most popular president has vanished. Prove me wrong.
— Robert J. O'Neill (@mchooyah) August 16, 2021
This is perhaps the most embarrassing foreign policy failure since the fall of Saigon.