World leaders are expressing their disappointment over the security situation and the unfolding of the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Criticism and backlash have been pouring in from all quarters after the US president has gone for vacation.
Afghan citizens are desperately escaping from the country fearing danger from the Taliban. Meanwhile, nations are scrambling to evacuate their diplomats and nationals from Kabul.
US President Joe Biden continues to face global criticism owing to his approach to the conflict and the deteriorating condition in Afghanistan as the Taliban fighters swept into Kabul. Globally Biden's decision to withdraw US military troops from Afghanistan is being condemned.As Taliban grips tighten in Afghanistan, declaring war to be over and claiming that it is going to soon form a government there, former president Ashraf Ghani fled the country which he justified saying was done to avoid the bleeding flood.
Meanwhile, Afghan nationals are protesting against Joe Biden outside the White House. Visuals from the protest site broadcasted on Monday showed plenty of Afghan Nationals shouting slogans outside the White House. Women holding placards in their hands, shouted, “Biden you betrayed us”, “Biden you are responsible”.
Denouncing the Taliban's action back home, the protesters in the US said that the people of Afghanistan don't deserve this cruelty.
Another slogan that echoed outside president Biden's residence was - “Death to Taliban”.
Biden, who ordered the retreat of the US armies from Afghanistan is yet to issue an official statement or say something about the escalating humanitarian crisis in the war-torn nation. The US President is presently vacationing at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
White House advisors have stated that discussions are underway on how the president should handle the worrisome situation in Afghanistan.
Many have mocked him for his incompetency and took to social media asking questions about his absence from the scene, mainly from his political opponents and political commentators.
Burgess Owens, United States Representative from the Republican Party tweeted: “This is infuriating.. @POTUS has brought absolute chaos to everything his administration touches. Meanwhile, he vacations….”
Another Congresswoman, Lauren Boebert, wrote, “No person who calls themselves the President of the United States should be on vacation while the world crumbles down around them. The dereliction of duty continues…”
Representative Jim Jordan also questioned why Joe Biden was on a vacation when America is in crisis and chaos is wreaking Afghanistan.
Donald Trump
Former President of the United States Donald Trump has demanded resignation from his successor Biden over his rapid turnover from Afghanistan after nearly being there for 20 years.
"It is time for Joe Biden to resign in disgrace for what he has allowed happening to Afghanistan," Trump said.
It was under Trump's administration that the US mediated an agreement with the Taliban in Doha last year, where it was decided that the US would withdraw all its troops from the nation by May 2021, agreeing in exchange for several security guarantees from the terrorists.
But Biden after taking over the presidential power extended the deadline for the withdrawal and had established no conditions.
Asserting that the scenario would have been different if he was the president, Trump in another statement on Sunday said, "What Joe Biden has done with Afghanistan is legendary. It will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history!"
Also Read: 'Deeply worried about Afghan women', says Malala Yousafzai as Taliban takes over Kabul
Boris Johnson
On the other hand, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson blamed Joe Biden and the US for the intensity of the crisis in Afghanistan, saying it will be "fair to say the US decision to pull out has accelerated things, but this has in many ways been a chronicle of an event foretold."
He further urged the western world to work together to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a "breeding ground for terrorism."
"I think it is very important that the West should work collectively to get over to that new government - be it by the Taliban or anybody else - that nobody wants Afghanistan once again to be a breeding ground for terror and we don't think it is in the interests of the people of Afghanistan that it should lapse back into that pre-2001 status," said Johnson.
Johnson further clarified that Britain has no hand in the worsening situation in Afghanistan as its role ended years ago there.
"I think we've known for some time this is the way things were going and as I said before, this is a mission whose military component ended for the UK in 2014, what we're dealing with now is the very likely advent of a new regime in Kabul, we don't know exactly what kind of a regime that will be," Johnson said.
Justin Trudeau
Other leaders of the world too voiced their dissatisfaction about the terror outfit taking over the country, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying he is "heartbroken" seeing the Afghan people at the present condition.
"We've been constantly monitoring the rapidly evolving situation," Trudeau said.
Canada has shut down its embassy in Kabul and suspended all diplomatic operations in Afghanistan. Trudeau stated that the security and safety of Canadians remain his top priority.
Also Read: Explained: Who is Taliban Leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the ‘liberal’ among fundamentalists?
Scott Morrison
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government is redoubling its efforts to evacuate people in Afghanistan.
"Our focus now is to ensure that we continue to support those who have aided us and ensure that 400 people have already been brought to Australia as we have been working on this quite rapidly in recent months as the situation continues to deteriorate," stated Morrison.
Expressing similar thoughts like that of Trudeau, Johnson said his country will "make sure we deliver on our obligations to UK nationals in Afghanistan, to all those who have helped the British effort... over 20 years and to get them out as fast as we can."
European Union
EU Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas in a tweet said: “The clock has run out on how long we can wait to adopt the complete overhaul of Europe’s migration and asylum rules we need.”
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres showed concern particularly for the future of Afghan women and girls, who earned their rights after a long fight.
Russia
Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s foreign ministry official said Russia is working with other countries to conduct an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan.