HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – With all eyes on Afghanistan and the withdrawal deadline looming, the situation became more urgent after Thursday’s deadly attack.
And veterans and local officials watch with added concern.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity has toured Iraq three times, overseeing a prison in the country. This gives him a unique perspective on what is happening in Afghanistan right now.
In Thursday’s deadly attack, 13 US servicemen and dozens of Afghans were killed in a terrorist attack. Treasurer Garrity says she is devastated for the slain soldiers and their families.
Get daily news, weather and late-breaking alerts straight to your inbox! Subscribe to abc27 newsletters here!
She is also angry with the way the president handled the pullout.
“I think it’s worse than Saigon. It’s worse than Benghazi. I think it’s just a complete and abject leadership failure, â€Garrity said.
As for what happens next, she thinks that getting the Americans and our allies out should be the main objective.
“No one expected us to stay in Afghanistan forever, but you don’t just settle for a 20-year commitment,†Garrity said. “We shouldn’t leave a single American behind, not a single one. We should not leave any of our Afghans who have worked so hard with our army behind us.
A full interview with Treasurer Garrity, including how she is distributing the US bailout money, will air on This Week in Pennsylvania Sunday, August 29 at 10 a.m. on abc27.
