While the United States is in control of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, up to 15,000 Americans remain in the country, many trapped behind Taliban checkpoints. Afghan veteran Matt Zeller detailed the "nightmare scenario" outside the airport and how those attempting to get there are essentially on a "suicide mission."
The French and other NATO allies have taken a different approach, using their special forces to rescue their people "by whatever means necessary," but the Biden administration at this point is committed to staying at the airport, instructing people to come while noting the government "cannot guarantee safe passage."
Pressure has mounted on Biden to commit to getting every American out, and many options are being presented to do that. But according to California Democrat John Garamendi, "it makes no sense whatsoever" to send U.S. troops into Kabul to extract American citizens.
"The people in Kabul and in other parts of [Afghanistan] are going to have to do the best they can to get [to the airport]," Garamendi, the Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, told CNN. "There is no way the American military should use military force to go to someone's house or some building somewhere to extract people. That will create a very significant problem and a very significant loss of life on both sides."
He continued: "To provide safe passage from parts of a huge city? No way—not sensible."
Garamendi, who's up for reelection in 2022, has been a strong defender of Biden's disastrous withdrawal and claimed the commander in chief "considered every fact and contingency"—even while Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley admitted, "There was nothing that I or any other of us saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days."
Garamendi's GOP challenger, Tamika Hamilton, a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, blasted the California Democrat, arguing his statement was a "disgrace."
"You do not leave your fellow American behind," she said in a video message calling on him to resign. "You find a way."
Leaving our fellow countrymen to be murdered by the Taliban after this disastrous retreat is absolutely immoral & can never be acceptable. I'm stunned by such disregard for American life. His comments are a disgrace & he should immediately resign from Congress. @RepGaramendi pic.twitter.com/5soROK2hTP
— Tamika Hamilton (@TamikaGHamilton) August 18, 2021