Afghanistan has collapsed, less than a month after the US pledged support for its government and military while pulling all forces out of the country. In less than three weeks, the Taliban took advantage of the vacuum left by the irresponsible nature in which Joe Biden disengaged the US and captured every city, and now Kabul as well.

As I speak, Biden has sent 5,000 troops back into Afghanistan, not to protect our allies, but to help our diplomatic and intelligence personnel to escape the Taliban. That decision came after his administration shamefully offered the Taliban aid as a ransom to keep our embassy safe from attack – the same people who partnered with al-Qaeda, the terrorists who bombed two of our embassies in 1998 and perpetrated the 2001 terrorist attacks that killed 3,000 Americans.

This is not just a collapse of the Afghan military. It is a collapse of our entire post-9/11 security strategy. We could have remained in place at little cost to guarantee a more orderly transition. Instead, we betrayed the Afghan men and especially women who believed in us. It leaves a stain on our honor and credibility that will cost us mightily over the next few decades.