True horrors of Biden’s Afghan withdrawal emerge on 5th anniversary of suicide bomb

Key Points:

• Five years ago, a suicide bombing at Kabul airport killed 13 US Marines and 170 civilians, symbolizing the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, as depicted in the Wall Street Journal documentary "The Path to Zero."
• The evacuation was marred by violence from Afghan forces against civilians and the abandonment of local US allies, with ISIS-K bomber Abdul Rahman al-Logari having been released from Taliban prisons during the US troop withdrawal.
• The documentary highlights the trauma and moral dilemmas faced by US Marines amid shifting evacuation criteria and chaotic crowds, while criticizing the Biden administration's decision to fully withdraw troops and vacate Bagram Air Base, which left critical resources to the Taliban.
• Military leaders warned that a residual US force was necessary to support Afghan troops and prevent disaster, but political leadership ignored these warnings, leading to a collapse that compromised US credibility and emboldened adversaries globally.
• The film argues that the failed withdrawal damaged public perception of President Biden’s competence and encouraged hostile actors like Russia, Iran, and militant groups to exploit perceived US weakness.