WASHINGTON, DC — The Truman National Security Project and Truman Center for National Policy commend President Biden on his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

For nearly 20 years, the war in Afghanistan has wreaked devastating losses at a cost of more than $2 trillion to U.S. taxpayers. More than 2,000 American service members have died in the conflict, over 20,000 have been wounded, and at least 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or injured.

While our armed forces have made incredible sacrifices and important gains, an orderly troop withdrawal remains long overdue. It is important now, for domestic and international reasons, that this chapter in U.S. history comes to an end. 

“President Biden’s courageous decision is the byproduct of years of advocacy work by human rights groups and organizers,” said Truman President and CEO Jenna Ben-Yehuda. “To ensure continued progress towards peace and the maintenance of humanitarian and diplomatic support, the United States must also continue to build upon its commitment to bilateral and multilateral efforts to tackle conflict and instability. As such, the withdrawal of our troop presence must be undertaken in close coordination with our NATO allies and with the Afghan government.”

As the end of our military presence draws near, we call on the president and on Congress to honor our commitment to those translators who selflessly supported our troops in combat by ensuring the issuance of Special Immigrant Visas.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that precipitated the U.S. war in Afghanistan, now is the time to reflect upon where we’ve been, and where we go from here. We must start this process by realigning U.S. national security policy to confront today’s most urgent challenges rather than focusing on priorities of the past.