THE chaos in Afghanistan may destroy Joe Biden’s presidency as Republicans try to impeach him over the deepening crisis, experts have said. It’s feared that a series of crucial blunders in the war-torn country could spark a resurgence in Islamist terror attacks in the US. Biden has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for […]
THE chaos in Afghanistan may destroy Joe Biden’s presidency as Republicans try to impeach him over the deepening crisis, experts have said.
It’s feared that a series of crucial blunders in the war-torn country could spark a resurgence in Islamist terror attacks in the US.
Biden has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for his handling of the crisis after he promised the US would leave Afghanistan in a “safe and orderly way”.
Taliban militants seized Kabul on Sunday, sparking a hasty and “humiliating” US retreat.
US politics expert Thomas Gift, of University College London, thinks the way the crisis has unfolded is extremely damaging for Washington’s reputation.
He told The Sun: “It’s very embarrassing for the administration and I think it will severely hurt the White House’s reputation on foreign policy particularly at a time when Biden has said America is back.
“Afghanistan will be the defining foreign policy issue for Joe Biden if not the defining issue overall.”
Critics have branded Biden’s handling of the crisis a “debacle”, prompting some Republicans to tout the idea of impeachment or invoking the 25th Amendment.
Rob Singh, an expert in American politics, said the argument to impeach Biden isn’t “compelling” but that might not stop Republicans from trying.
He said: “Impeachment has become a partisan tool that gets threatened against the president by the party that doesn’t control the White House.”
Biden’s future could be made more difficult if the Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives in next year’s mid-term elections.
Singh believes that the GOP may try to take advantage of the “poisonous” atmosphere on Capitol Hill.
He said: “On the impeachment side, I think you’ll see the Republicans look for anything they can grab hold off.
“It could be about Hunter Biden, they could even reopen the allegations about Ukraine when he was vice president. If it continues to go south in Afghanistan, maybe that could come into it as well.
“I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the Republicans try something against Biden even if they know they don’t have a two-thirds majority to get rid of him.
“The atmosphere in Washington clearly is so toxic and poisonous now that they’d be willing to do it just for the sake of it frankly.”
Foreign policy traditionally isn’t as important to voters as issues such as the economy or Covid but Afghanistan could rise up the agenda if the crisis escalates.
If there is another terrorist attack, all bets are off.”
Rob Singh, US politics expert
It’s feared that the instability created by the Taliban siege could create a hotbed for ISIS and Al-Qaeda terrorism.
Singh explained that radical members of the terrorist organization want to export Jihad beyond the Afghan borders – compared to elders who are “content” with ruling Afghanistan.
When asked if Afghanistan could spill over into US domestic politics, he said: “It could do particularly if there is another terrorist attack because if that happens all bets are off.”
Gift added that a major terrorist attack on the US “totally changes the game”.
He said voters could “rally around the flag” in the immediate aftermath but then a blame game could begin.
Senator Lindsay Graham accused Biden of being “oblivious” to the terrorist threats the Taliban poses to the US.
It comes an intel report claimed that Al Qaeda has a “safe place” in which to plot murder – 20 years after the 9/11 attacks.
The dossier, written by the Pentagon Office of the Inspector General, states that ISIS has exploited the political instability and rise in violence as the West withdrew.
Chillingly, it adds: “The Taliban continued to maintain its relationship with Al Qaeda, providing safe haven for the terrorist group in Afghanistan.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday the Taliban must prevent Afghanistan from lapsing back into being a terror breeding ground.
Fears continue to escalate amid reports that a new ISIS splinter cell is waging a war against the Taliban as it seeks a new caliphate.
The faction Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) was created in 2015 and is predominately concentrated in the eastern province of Nangarhar – near the Pakistan border.
Fighting between the terror factions erupted in 2015 and 2017 when ISKP jihadis captured drug dealers selling opium to raise funds for the Taliban in Jowzjan.
Dozens of militants were also killed in clashes between the two sides along the Iranian border in the same year.
Officials in Washington fear the group has recovered after being pushed to the brink by the US, Afghan forces, and Taliban militants.
