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Trump criticized for planning secret Camp David meeting with Taliban days before 9/11 anniversary

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  tessylo  •  5 years ago  •  36 comments

Trump criticized for planning secret Camp David meeting with Taliban days before 9/11 anniversary

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T















 

Trump criticized for planning secret Camp David meeting with Taliban days before 9/11 anniversary


























aaaa2f80-fa39-11e8-8fbf-da9c00b689c4   Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, USA TODAY   13 hours ago  






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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is facing backlash after announcing he   planned to hold a secret meeting with the Taliban   at Camp David this weekend but canceled it over attacks overseas that left 12 dead, including one American. 

Republican and Democratic leaders sharply criticized the president over two main concerns: bringing   members of the Taliban   to the U.S.—specifically to Camp David, a presidential retreat for presidents used for administrations, and the timing of the meeting — just days before the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. 

The Trump administration and leaders of the Taliban, an extremist Islamic organization that controls about half of Afghanistan, have been in   peace talks for months   and closing in on a possible deal that would remove about 5,000 American troops from five bases over the next five months if the Taliban fulfills promises to reduce violence and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists. 

More:   Donald Trump's secretary of state says Afghanistan talks are dead 'for now'

More:   Trump suspends Afghanistan peace talks after attack, cancels secret Camp David meeting

The president revealed plans to host Taliban leaders on Twitter Saturday evening, explaining that it   was canceled and all peace talks were off   after the group claimed responsibility for a car bomb this week that killed an American and 11 others. 

But the news that a meeting was planned drew criticism as skeptics have said the Taliban, itself a militant Islamic group that harbored Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda —which carried out the 9/11 attacks — cannot be trusted. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle vented their frustrations. 

More:   'Agreement in principle' reached with Taliban to withdraw 5,000 US troops within five months

More:   15 years after Sept. 11, the questions that still remain in our minds

Rep. Liz Cheney, one of most powerful House Republicans whose father was vice president during the 9/11 attacks, said "no member of the Taliban should set foot" at Camp David. 

"Camp David is where America’s leaders met to plan our response after al Qaeda, supported by the Taliban, killed 3000 Americans on 9/11," said Cheney, R-Wyoming, on Sunday. "No member of the Taliban should set foot there. Ever. The Taliban still harbors al Qaeda."

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran who flew missions throughout the Middle East -- including Afghanistan, said members of the group should "NEVER" be allowed in the U.S.  

"Never should leaders of a terrorist organization that hasn’t renounced 9/11 and continues in evil be allowed in our great country," tweeted Kinzinger, R-Ill. "NEVER. Full stop." 

Democrats also piled on. After Trump's announcement, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D- Calif., wrote on Twitter: "You brought the Taliban to the United States the week of September 11?" 

Rep. Justin Amash, who recently switched from the Republican party to become an independent, also blasted the move.

"How about we end the war without inviting the Taliban to dinner on the week of 9/11?" he wrote on Twitter. 

Others pointed to posts the president made while his predecessor, Barack Obama, was in the White House and working to negotiate a peace deal in Afghanistan. 

"While @BarackObama is slashing the military, he is also negotiating with our sworn enemy the Taliban--who facilitated 9/11," Trump wrote in 2012. 

But the controversial meeting and its cancelation have boosted uncertainty over Trump's hopes to fulfill a campaign promise in ending America's longest war and bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan. 

On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the peace talks were dead "for now" and defended Trump's now aborted meeting. 

"The Taliban tried to gain negotiating advantage by conducting terror attacks inside of the country," Pompeo said on CNN's 'State of the Union,' one in a string of television interviews he conducted Sunday. "It made no sense for the Taliban to be rewarded for that kind of bad behavior."

After the 9/11 attacks, U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan, toppled the Taliban and tried to foster democracy in the war-torn country. But remnants of the extremist group have been fighting the government ever since, and the Taliban now controls about half the country again.

More than 2,400 American soldiers have been killed in the war, according to the most recent figures from the Pentagon. There are currently about 22,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan now, 14,000 of them Americans.

Trump's hope for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. forces has drawn opposition from within his own administration, including military leaders who want a more phased approach. Critics fear a premature withdrawal would encourage the Taliban to re-take control of the country.

Contributing: David Jackson, Deirdre Shesgreen and John Fritze

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:   President Trump criticized over canceled Taliban meeting at Camp David


















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Tessylo
Professor Principal
1  seeder  Tessylo    5 years ago

But the news that a meeting was planned drew criticism as skeptics have said the Taliban, itself a militant Islamic group that harbored Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda —which carried out the 9/11 attacks — cannot be trusted. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle vented their frustrations. 

More:    'Agreement in principle' reached with Taliban to withdraw 5,000 US troops within five months

More:    15 years after Sept. 11, the questions that still remain in our minds

Rep. Liz Cheney, one of most powerful House Republicans whose father was vice president during the 9/11 attacks, said "no member of the Taliban should set foot" at Camp David. 

"Camp David is where America’s leaders met to plan our response after al Qaeda, supported by the Taliban, killed 3000 Americans on 9/11," said Cheney, R-Wyoming, on Sunday. "No member of the Taliban should set foot there. Ever. The Taliban still harbors al Qaeda."

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran who flew missions throughout the Middle East -- including Afghanistan, said members of the group should "NEVER" be allowed in the U.S.  

"Never should leaders of a terrorist organization that hasn’t renounced 9/11 and continues in evil be allowed in our great country," tweeted Kinzinger, R-Ill. "NEVER. Full stop." 

Democrats also piled on. After Trump's announcement, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D- Calif., wrote on Twitter: "You brought the Taliban to the United States the week of September 11?" 

Rep. Justin Amash, who recently switched from the Republican party to become an independent, also blasted the move.

"How about we end the war without inviting the Taliban to dinner on the week of 9/11?" he wrote on Twitter. 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3  Buzz of the Orient    5 years ago

The 18th anniversary of when "somebody did something"  s/

 
 
 
freepress
Freshman Silent
4  freepress    5 years ago

I guess he really does have dementia. The "never forget" theme of Republicans just went into the trash heap of history. Either he lied, (ha, ha) or the people managing him have memory issues as well.

 
 
 
lady in black
Professor Quiet
5  lady in black    5 years ago

And this ladies and gentlemen is the pos scumbag fucktard who resides in the white house who claimed people cheered.  He is a disgrace.

 
 
 
Galen Marvin Ross
Sophomore Participates
7  Galen Marvin Ross    5 years ago

I was listening to the news the yesterday and, they said that Trump never advised anyone in the Senate about planning these talks, which isn't suppose to happen, the Senate is suppose to be informed of all planned peace talks with foreign advisary's.

 
 
 
Tessylo
Professor Principal
7.1  seeder  Tessylo  replied to  Galen Marvin Ross @7    5 years ago

Yeah, so a secret meeting which he cancelled.  Why announce it at all?

 
 
 
Galen Marvin Ross
Sophomore Participates
7.1.1  Galen Marvin Ross  replied to  Tessylo @7.1    5 years ago

To distract from #sharpygate for a few days.

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
7.1.2  Krishna  replied to  Galen Marvin Ross @7.1.1    5 years ago
To distract from #sharpygate for a few days.

Pardon me for an off-topic comment. 

But I should mention I recently had the same problem-- when you type a link (on NT) that begins with a number symbol, it doesn't go to Twitter. Rather, in the bizarre world of NT HTML code, it sends you to the NT Timeline page.

Here's the difference. You can check it out by clicking on each of these links;

1. Link with No space after the # symbol: #sharpygate  

2. Link with a space added after the # symbol: # sharpy.gate

 
 
 
cjcold
Professor Quiet
7.1.5  cjcold  replied to  Tessylo @7.1    5 years ago
Why announce it at all?

Because he is insane?

How many times has he reversed an insane spontaneous decision? 

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
 

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