Sir, – The attack on National Guards in Washington was really horrendous and my thoughts and prayers are with them and their families. However, the response of US president Donald Trump was very disturbing. Clearly, Mr Trump will take any opportunity to criticise former president Joe Biden and he shows an appalling lack of understanding of recent history.
The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the 9/11 attack. Their aim was to destroy the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Despite initial success, the war quickly evolved into a war of attrition. Many people on both sides were killed. However, it became clear the war could drag on for years without any clear winners or losers.
In 2021, when Mr Biden agreed to withdraw American troops and diplomats from Afghanistan, he extended an offer of refuge to all those Afghan people who had worked with or for the US government. Had all those people remained in Afghanistan it is likely they would have been rounded up and executed by the Taliban.
What Mr Biden did was not simply generous, it was the right thing to do. The US had a moral obligation to protect the people who had assisted them during their time in Afghanistan.
RM Block
That Mr Trump is now challenging this decision is truly shocking and I hope the American people see it for what it is: an opportunity to attack Mr Biden. – Yours, etc,
PAULA MOLLOY,
Dublin 13,
