Colorado leaders respond to collapse of Afghan government
COLORADO (KRDO) -- State and local leaders are speaking out about how the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan could impact the United States.
Congressman Doug Lamborn (R) made one of the bolder statements of the day, saying he believes pulling U.S. troops out now could expose Americans to future terror attacks.
The Taliban, and the terrorists that will come in, in their wake, do pose a threat to the United States. It will be a failed state without doubt, and the kind of latitude that we saw 20 years ago on 9/11, where people were able to hatch plots against the U.S., will be something of a threat that we have to be exposed to again.
Rep. Doug Lamborn
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D) released the following statement focusing on the evacuation of Afghani and US citizens.
We need to do everything we can to safely and quickly evacuate U.S. citizens and our Afghan allies, who have sacrificed everything to advance our mission and protect our troops. For twenty years, they did not abandon us. Now, we cannot abandon them. I am thinking of our men and women who served in Afghanistan today and over the last twenty years. The best way to honor them is to evacuate as many of our Afghan allies as we can, including those who are not at the airport in Kabul.
Sen. Michael Bennet
Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper (D) released a similar statement on Twitter.
What we’re witnessing in Afghanistan is heartbreaking. Right now we need to do everything we can to get American citizens and our Afghan allies out safely — we can’t turn our backs on those who have risked everything to help us and build a different future for their nation. This is especially painful for all of our veterans and service members, particularly families who lost loved ones in the Middle East. We’re forever grateful for your service and sacrifice.
Sen. John Hickenlooper
On Sunday, Gov. Jared Polis expressed his condolences for the lives lost.
Like all Americans, I am saddened at the loss of Kabul and the fall of the Afghan government. In particular, I am saddened for the future plight of girls and women in Afghanistan, who risk being forced out of school and even their chosen careers. I share the deep sorrow and disappointment of the many Afghans who worked hard these last twenty years under American protection to build a free, modern Afghanistan, and I continue to advocate for our country to ensure that those who assisted us and are at risk of retribution are resettled in America, as refugees. But this is also on us. As someone who has long supported ending the war in Afghanistan, the rapid fall of the US-backed government shows the true folly of our 20-year nation-building effort. There simply was no there there. American soldiers put blood, sweat, and tears into helping forward-looking Afghans build a better nation, but it turned out to be a house of cards. To all our men and women in uniform and civilians who served in Afghanistan, I want to express gratitude. The goal was a noble one, even if our own nation’s leadership should have realized earlier on that it was an impossible mission. And I also want to express my condolences and sympathy to the families of the 2,448 American service members killed in Afghanistan and the 3,846 American contractors lost. I’m glad that no more Colorado families will have to grieve the loss of a loved one lost in Afghanistan with the end of this 20-year military action.
Gov. Jared Polis
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R) didn't issue an official statement on Monday, but she did tweet in response to President Joe Biden's speech on Monday.
Biden’s speech was a disingenuous, incoherent lie.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) August 16, 2021
The American people are not arguing that we should have stayed in Afghanistan.
We’re furious that you abandoned Americans on the ground and are the most incompetent President in American history.
