Senator Mitt Romney opposes Biden plan to pull troops from Afghanistan

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney says he opposes a plan from President Biden to pull U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

Troops leaving Afghanistan soon… is it too soon?

The opinion of Senator Romney not only puts him at odds with the president, but it also has him disagreeing with other GOP members of Utah’s congressional delegation.

For example, Representative Chris Stewart (R) says his views on the issue have dramatically changed over time.

“I clearly supported the original invasion of Afghanistan. I’ve supported our troops being there for many, many years,” he recently explained to KSL. 

Now, he feels the United States has done everything possible to support the country and it’s up to them to ensure stability. 

He adds that President Biden’s withdrawal plan won’t remove every single U.S. soldier from the area.

“Well obviously we have an embassy there, so you need to have troops that can protect the embassy,” he said. “Force protection is an important part of this and it’s actually a fairly substantial number.”

Senator Romney makes the case for staying

Following a White House briefing earlier this week, Romney came away calling the president’s plan “an error” that could have serious consequences for national security.

Following today’s frank and candid briefing with Administration officials on Afghanistan, I am convinced that a withdrawal of U.S. troops is an error that will have serious consequences for our national security interests. https://t.co/kXtB8feBbT

— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) April 21, 2021

“The U.S. and our allies maintain a small number of troops with an outsized ability to prevent the Taliban from providing terrorist groups like al-Qaida and ISIS the ability to train and flourish,” he explained. “Our military presence also helps to buttress the democratic government and its military, foster human rights for women and girls, and hold the Taliban accountable to their promises.”