Ceasing resistance to an enemy or opponent and submitting to their authority is the definition of surrender.

The Taliban’s real victory was Feb. 29, 2020, when Trump’s administration signed a peace deal with the Taliban excluding the Afghanistan government. The Taliban got complete power. Afghanistan got nothing.

The Taliban agreed not to give safe harbor to terrorists like Isis-K, who killed 13 soldiers and 170 Afghans at Kabul airport. The agreement set the terms for complete withdrawal of American troops by May 2021. Trump agreed to lower the troop level to 8,600 by July 2020.

From Nov. 17, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2021 Trump lowered the troop level to 2,500. The lowest in 20 years. The deal included a prisoner swap, releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1,000 Afghan prisoners by March 10, 2020.

Trump released Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the co-founder of the Taliban and current leader who helped negotiate terms of surrender with Pompeo. The agreement lifted sanctions. Trump closed 10 airfields before leaving office, setting the stage for a chaotic evacuation. Trump’s surrender agreement forced Biden to withdraw or continue fighting an unwinnable war.

Trump bragged June 26 that his surrender agreement with the Taliban undermined Biden. Trump said “I started the process . . . They couldn’t stop the process.” Sounds like Trump wanted Biden to fail.

Trump took no responsibility for COVID killing thousands. Biden says the buck stops with him, and does not shirk his responsibility. People should remember that Trump abandoned our allies, the Kurds, in 2018.

Deanne Danforth, New Sharon


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