As President Obama was announcing today that he would be leaving 3,000 more US troops than planned in Afghanistan, Ron Paul told Fox Business it would be best to bring all the troops home. Drawing down from the current 9,800 US troops to 8,400 instead of the planned 5,500 “is not going to make any difference,” said Dr. Paul. “He needs to bring them all home and change the policy.”
Nearly eight years ago, Obama came to the presidency vowing to win what he called the “good war” in Afghanistan, after what he claimed was his predecessor’s neglect. He launched his own “surge” in 2009, adding 30,000 troops to the fight in Afghanistan and demanding that the US-backed Afghan government deal with its notorious corruption. Three years later the “surge” quietly ended, as the US continued losing ground.
On Fox Business today Paul said that slight troop reductions were not going to make much of a difference, as the US still takes responsibility for the government in Afghanistan. The only solution is to pull out completely, he said.
“So, if we take everyone out, Congressman, what happens to Afghanistan?” asked the host. “Does the Taliban just rush in and fill the vacuum?”
Paul replied:
Well, that’s where they are right now. They are stronger, as you just reported, they are stronger than ever before. It’s a failed program, a failed process. It was done in vain. It’s just as failed as Iraq is. … It’s time we changed the policy and at least take a look at non-intervention and look at the failure of intervention over the last 15 years.
Watch the interview here:
