Florida Rep. Argues That Americans Left Behind Are Now Taliban Hostages

Republican Florida Representative Michael Waltz adamantly disagrees with President Joe Biden’s decision to pull all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. In a statement, Friday Waltz said that “Biden gave all our bases away.”

“Biden’s own intelligence community is saying that ‘the Taliban equals Al-Qaeda,”‘Waltz said in an appearance on Fox News. “Al-Qaeda is going to grow back and they are going to attack the West again. That is absolutely going to happen and we need to have somebody to work with when future American soldiers have to go back again.”

In a tweet, Waltz said that the Americans that were left behind are now “Taliban hostages,” that will have to be smuggled out to the Panjshir Valley safe zone or across borders. He said that Congress and private organizations, everyone “but the White House,” are taking actions to get them out.

Waltz compared The Biden administration’s decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan to the Obama administration’s decision to withdraw troops from Iraq that was “too fast and too soon and that led to the ISIS caliphate that launched attacks around the world.”

“But we had courage to go back,” he added. “We had bases in the region. In Afghanistan, we have nothing.”

He voiced serious concern that it will be very difficult for future soldiers to find allies to work with as the now left behind allies are being “hunted down.”

In another tweet, Waltz said, “Pres Biden gave away everything we had in Afghanistan & our local allies are being hunted down. All we have left is VP Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud and the Panjshir Valley safe zone. Biden must stand with those that stand with America and oppose terrorism.”

In an interview on The Brian Kilmeade Show Thursday, Walz said that members of Congress had been demanding that the Biden administration start the evacuations months ago.

“Abandoning Americans will lead to a large mass hostage situation and every time the Taliban have a demand going forward, for access to billions and reserves, for access to economic assistance or international recognition, if they don’t get their way, they go down the street and take a hostage,” Walz said.

Biden has been under fire from many government officials over the botched
military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

On Friday Waltz along with Senator Lindsey Graham called for Biden to support launching a “humanitarian safe zone” for the Americans left behind in Afghanistan. The president was also encouraged to brand the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization.