A year ago this month, President Joe Biden, acting on political impulse, suddenly removed U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He did so against advice of military leadership on the ground and in Washington.
While the whole nation wanted to end our long war in Afghanistan, most leaders recognized that it was important to leave the country in a better state than we found it. Instead, our careless departure allowed Afghanistan to immediately fall back into the hands of the Taliban - the same terrorist regime that we fought for 20 years.
Worse, the hasty, ill-considered withdrawal operation left 12 Marines, one Navy sailor and one Army soldier dead from an opportunistic terrorist attack at the Kabul Airport.
A drone strike that month only compounded the errors. While it was intended to attack those who killed our troops, it instead caused civilian casualties, including children.
A subsequent review found no fault with those executing the mission, a concerning example of an overall lack of accountability for this failure.
Further, Al-Qaida, who headquartered in Afghanistan when they committed the 9/11 atrocities, have also returned to Afghanistan; we know this from the recent operation to kill one of its leaders, Ayam Mohammed Rabie al-Zawarhiri, in Kabul of all places.
The withdrawal was and continues to be a heartbreaking tragedy for our service members and veterans. To be clear, the decision to leave Afghanistan in this haphazard, insecure, imprudent manner is solely owned by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. And after the debacle, the Democrat Congress did almost nothing.
Biden's decision has had direct and unfortunate consequences. Thousands of Americans and Afghan allies were left behind.
The Taliban reinstituted their oppression of women. Billions of dollars' worth of sensitive U.S. equipment and dangerous weapons were abandoned to fall into the hands of our enemies.
Even more worrisome, events around the world since the debacle might have unfolded adversely due to bad actors' reaction to our perceived weakness and incompetence.
Russia acted on its long-held desire to invade and occupy Ukraine. China has begun making louder claims toward taking Taiwan. North Korea has resumed a program of missile testing. Iran is likely in the midst of gaining nuclear weapons. While those events might not be solely a result of the Afghanistan withdrawal, Biden's decision undoubtedly affected those governments' decision making.
We must learn from these grave mistakes. Don't abandon your citizens. Don't leave behind friends who helped you. Listen to the experts. Do what is best for America in the long run, despite ideological commitments or political expediency. Maintain peace through strength and don't allow unforced errors to degrade perception of American resolve. Leadership matters.
Our country deserves better leadership in the White House and better oversight from Congress. Both have let us down. We owe it to our troops and allies to hold them accountable at the ballot box this fall.
Erik Aadland is a former energy executive and a veteran of two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Aadland is the Republican Party candidate for the U.S. House in Colorado District 7.