Former Brexit leader Nigel Farage torched President Joe Biden for his choice to “unilaterally” create a chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan without the consultation of NATO allies.
“The mission in Afghanistan was not purely an American mission, it was a NATO mission. We were the second biggest partner. It had been going on for 20 years,” Farage told Fox News on Thursday.
“Joe Biden chose unilaterally without any consultation with NATO, without any consultation with us — your closest ally for the last century and a bit more — chose unilaterally to decide the timing and method by which American troops would leave Afghanistan.” (RELATED: ‘Shameful’: British Veteran Defends Afghan Fighters, Torches Biden From Parliament)
Farage expressed that Biden’s actions led to a bitterness among U.S. allies involved in Afghanistan.
“This is not how you treat allies. It is certainly not how you treat a NATO alliance which since the late 1940s has done so much to preserve peace in the world,” he said.
During the interview, Farage confirmed the reports that “Biden ignored Boris Johnson’s attempts to speak on the phone for 36+ hours.”
Two remarkable lines in today’s papers from @Steven_Swinford @benrileysmith
— UK military left in the dark by the US about timings and pace of their withdrawal… UK official confirms this is the case
— Biden ignored Boris Johnson’s attempts to speak on the phone for 36+ hours pic.twitter.com/HSBqBhfeGh— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) August 19, 2021
The former UKIP leader warned that this is a “watershed” moment for America’s allies overseas and they are questioning “how could we ever trust America again?”
Farage cautioned that Biden’s failure in Afghanistan could irrevocably impact “America’s place in the world.”
“We’re asking the question over here: ‘is this the end of America as the global superpower?'” Farage told Fox hosts Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer. “This is a disaster. It is a watershed moment. I’m not sure anybody has quite yet realized the damage Joe Biden has done to America and to the free world.”
The messy withdrawal from Afghanistan is not Farage’s only concern about the region. He wrote in Newsweek on Wednesday about how “Biden just handed Afghanistan’s mineral wealth to China.” (RELATED: Report: China Prepares To Recognize Taliban As The New Government In Afghanistan)
“Not only has [America] given the Taliban hundreds, billions of dollars worth of up-to-date military equipment, it deserted lithium resources and mineral resources worth $3 trillion. It has given it over to the control of the Chinese Communist Party.” Farage told the Fox hosts about how Biden’s decision helped China’s economic interests in Afghanistan. “You cannot have a Green Revolution. You cannot have electric cars without large quantities of lithium. So militarily, it is a disaster. Strategically it is a disaster, and in terms of geopolitics.” (RELATED: Here’s How Much Weaponry The Taliban Are Believed To Have Seized From US: REPORT)
While many Western nations evacuated during the fall of Kabul, Russia and China have kept their embassies open in Afghanistan.