| | | Whose idea was it to let 5000 Taliban terrorists loose?
Only those suffering from TDS think Afghanistan should be blamed on Trump.
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Fact-check: Did Trump free 5,000 Taliban prisoners during his term?
By Miriam Valverde, PolitiFact.com
Mitt Romney: The Trump administration worked to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners.
PolitiFact's ruling: True
Here's why: Sen. Mitt Romney blamed both the Trump and Biden administrations for the chaotic events that swept Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country.
A terrorist attack at the Kabul international airport killed more than 100 people, including 13 U.S. service members, as the U.S. military worked to evacuate Americans and Afghans.
Romney, R-Utah, made his comments during an Aug. 29 interview with CNN host Jake Tapper.
"Recognize that we're in the position we're in right now because of terrible decisions made by two administrations: One, the Trump administration negotiating directly with the Taliban, getting ready to invite them to Camp David, opening up a prison of 5,000 Taliban and probably ISIS-K individuals and letting them free," Romney said on CNN’s "State of the Union."
Romney said that it was not known whether some of the prisoners released were involved in the airport attack, but that Trump administration decisions "led to what you're seeing and the danger that exists at the airport." The Biden administration’s closing of the Bagram Air Base also played a role, he said.
All U.S. military forces left Afghanistan by Aug. 31, effectively ending the U.S. war.
PolitiFact wondered about Romney’s claim regarding the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners.
Romney’s claim is correct. A February 2020 agreement between the Taliban and the Trump administration called for the release of 5,000 Taliban members who were in Afghan prisons. Afghanistan’s government has said that the 5,000 Taliban prisoners were released. A Congressional Research Service report said the release was completed in September 2020.
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/politifact/2021/09/01/trump-taliban-peace-deal-afghanistan-prisoners/5673035001/ |
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