Former US Defense Secretary Panetta Calls Afghanistan Withdrawal a “Terrible Mistake”

DID Press: Leon Panetta, former U.S. defense secretary and former CIA director, has described the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and the return of control to the Taliban as a “terrible mistake,” saying Washington betrayed those it had fought alongside.

Panetta, who served as defense secretary under President Barack Obama, said the United States had taken important steps in Afghanistan to build and train security forces, establish intelligence institutions, combat terrorism, educate women, support businesses and improve people’s lives.

Panetta, who was CIA director when U.S. special forces conducted the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, said that although the Afghanistan war had become prolonged, the United States should have maintained a presence in the country and continued working with the Afghan people.

In an interview with Sky News, Panetta said: “When we suddenly pulled all of our forces out of Afghanistan and turned the country back over to the Taliban to take control, in many ways we betrayed all those people we had fought for.”

The former defense secretary stressed that Washington had a responsibility toward the Afghan people to continue working with them and remain alongside them to help build better lives.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during President Joe Biden’s administration has previously drawn criticism from senior American officials and a number of U.S. political figures. Panetta has also previously described the chaotic nature of the withdrawal as deeply troubling, saying the Taliban’s return to power was not inevitable.