Consequences of Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Highlighted After Shooting

WASHINGTON — On Monday, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt addressed the ongoing repercussions of former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. This followed a mass shooting that left one National Guard member dead and another severely injured.

During a White House press briefing, Leavitt expressed significant concern about Biden’s handling of the withdrawal and the subsequent influx of Afghan refugees into the United States.

“Joe Biden’s historic failure in Afghanistan continues to haunt this country and our men and women in uniform,” Leavitt stated before opening the floor for questions.

She pointed out that the withdrawal not only led to a suicide bombing in Kabul that claimed the lives of 13 American service members, but that the National Guard had also been attacked by similar enemies on U.S. soil.

Leavitt criticized Biden’s leadership, claiming that nearly 100,000 Afghans were “recklessly released into the United States with little or no vetting.” She referenced reports that previous administrations had expressed “national security, public safety, and fraud concerns” regarding thousands of these individuals.

“The tragedy we witnessed the day before Thanksgiving is a stark reminder that countless terrorists, gang members, and criminals were invited into our country and remain here to this day,” she added.

National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was shot on Thanksgiving outside the Farragut West subway station, which is just a few blocks from the White House. Leavitt noted that fellow Guardsman Andrew Wolf, 24, is “fighting for his life” after being critically injured in the incident.

The shooter, identified as Rahmanullah Rakanwal, 29, had come to the United States under the Biden administration’s Operation Welcoming Allies in September 2021, shortly after the withdrawal. Witnesses reported that Rakanwal shouted “Allah Akbar” during the attack.

The Associated Press revealed on Thanksgiving that Rakanwal had previously worked with the CIA in Afghanistan before relocating to the U.S.

Leavitt remarked that Beckstrom and Wolf represent “the best of America,” referencing the Bible verse John 15:13, which states, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”