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Iowa’s congressional delegation reacts to Kabul bombing

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August 27th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation say they’re angry and heartbroken about the terror attack at the Kabul airport that killed a dozen U.S. soldiers. Republican Senator Joni Ernst says it was foolish to leave the safety and security of Americans and our allies to the Taliban and it’s time to use the might of the U-S military. Congresswoman Cindy Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, says the mission remains the same — to get as many Americans and Afghan allies as possible out of the country by the end of the month.

“This is the fourth president to be involved in Afghanistan,” she said. “President Trump began the withdrawal and everybody believed that’s the right thing to do and we’re going to have to just, you know, deal with how the changes are happening on the ground.”

Axne, who says everyone wishes the withdrawal were going smoother, made her comments before President Biden addressed the country late yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa says the Biden Administration must ensure every single American out of Afghanistan before there are more lives lost.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says completing that mission should be the focus right now, but the day will come when questions about this disorganized and disastrous exit will have to be answered. Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull says that day is now and he says it’s time to initiate a bipartisan congressional investigation of what went wrong in Afghanistan.

Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion says the withdrawal has been a colossal failure and President Biden — in her words — has the blood of Americans on his hands.