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Mike Pence says Trump would not have withdrawn troops from Afghanistan
Former US Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday he believes former President Donald Trump would have kept a “couple thousand American forces” in Afghanistan despite striking a deal with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).
The US State Department released a report Friday faulting both the presidential administrations of Donald Trump and Joe Biden for the botched withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021.
The department’s “After Action Review” report stated the Trump administration had an “insufficient senior level consideration of worst-case scenarios,” listed Trump’s desire to end a military presence and alleged there was “no plan or effort to help at risk Afghans” nor a plan on “how to keep diplomats in Kabul after withdrawal.”
Pence said in an interview with CBS he does not believe the Trump administration bears any responsibility for the debacle.
“It was made very clear, I was in the room when President Trump told the leader of the Taliban (IEA)— he said, ‘Look, you’re gonna have to cooperate with the Afghan government. You don’t harbor terrorists and you don’t harm any American soldiers.’ We went 18 months without a single American casualty until the day at that Kabul airport, we lost thirteen brave American service members.”
“The blame for what happened here falls squarely on the current commander-in-chief. And under our administration, I promise you, that while it was the intention of the former president to pull all troops out, when the Taliban (IEA) broke the deal and moved into Mazar-e-Sharif and Joe Biden did nothing, that set in motion the catastrophe that became Afghanistan and the heartbreaking end to 20 years of conflict,” the former vice president said.
Pence was asked if the Trump administration would have kept the troops on the ground despite striking the deal.
“Well, look, candidly it was all my belief that it would be prudent to keep a couple thousand of American forces there to support our efforts against terrorists both in Afghanistan and in the region and I think we ultimately would’ve done that, just as the president announced we were— the former president announced we were out of Syria,” he answered.
The State Department report also found the Biden administration did not know who was in charge of coordinating the department’s role in the Afghanistan withdrawal.
The United States has delivered a second batch of UH-60A+ Black Hawk helicopters—previously operated by Afghanistan’s former government forces—to Peru.
The helicopters were part of military equipment relocated to Uzbekistan following the Islamic Emirate’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, when 22 fixed-wing aircraft and 24 helicopters crossed into Uzbek airspace.
The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly demanded the return of the aircraft, but Uzbekistan has declined, maintaining that the equipment does not belong to Afghanistan. In February 2025, Uzbekistan transferred seven Afghan Black Hawk helicopters to the United States.
In November 2024, the United States presented Peru with the first batch of nine Sikorsky UH-60A+ Black Hawk multi-role helicopters.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
The Islamic Emirate has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming meeting of special envoys of regional countries on Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Tehran, despite having received an invitation.
In a statement, Zia Ahmad Takal, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Islamic Emirate has maintained continuous and active engagement with all regional countries through various organizations, regional formats, and bilateral mechanisms, achieving notable progress in promoting mutual understanding and regional cooperation.
The statement added that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes regional cooperation should be advanced by strengthening existing mechanisms and formats within the region.
Tehran is set to host the meeting next week, with special envoys from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia expected to attend.
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