Colin Powell on Afghanistan: ‘We’ve done all we can do’

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that President Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September “was overdue,” even as Biden faced bipartisan criticism over the announcement.

“I wouldn’t say enough is enough,” Powell told The Washington Post. “I’d say we’ve done all we can do. … What are those troops being told they’re there for? It’s time to bring it to an end.”

Powell, a retired general who has also served as national security adviser and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in charge of the Bush administration State Department during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the subsequent beginning of the Afghanistan war.  

In his interview with the Post, he also mentioned how the Soviet Union withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in 1989, saying they “did it the same way.” 

“They got tired, and they marched out and back home. How long did anybody remember that?” he asked. 

Powell was one of the Republicans who backed Biden during his campaign last year against then-President Trump, including appearing at the Democratic National Convention.

Biden is expected on Wednesday to announce that he will bring all U.S. troops home from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of 9/11 later this year. 

The news sparked pushback from lawmakers in both parties. 

“Precipitously withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan is a grave mistake. It is retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished and abdication of American leadership,” Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said from the Senate floor.