'That's Not What War Looks Like': Rep. Dan Crenshaw Questions Pullout From Afghanistan

Earlier today, Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Republican from Texas, met with POLITICO Playbook where he questioned President Joe Biden's decision to pull entirely out of Afghanistan rather than leaving a small residual force in place.

The former Navy SEAL questioned why Biden would pull out of the country if the president did indeed know that the events which occurred at the Kabul airport were unavoidable, as Biden has previously suggested.

Crenshaw asserted a view that he said he's had for years—a pullout like the one seen last week should not have been executed. While he acknowledged the sentiments voiced by some who've called the war a failure, he said for troops like him, the fact that there have been "no more 9/11's" proves the effort was not in vain. However, he said he now fears the territory could once again become a hotbed for terrorism.

"The option has always been chaos in a terrorist safe haven, or [maintaining] a small residual force," Crenshaw told POLITICO. "We haven't had a combat casualty in 18 months. I've been to war, that's not what war looks like, okay. That looks like the kind of presence that we have all around the world."

Compared to the situation in the country a few months ago, Crenshaw said he does not see the current outcome as superior. He said maintaining military presence like that seen prior to the pullout would have supported stability in the country.

Even if the Biden administration still preferred a pullout, despite the previous considerations, Crenshaw said he thinks the effort could have been planned better. He said it did not seem to him that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a plan, given the large number of Americans and Afghan allies left on the ground during the time of the Taliban's invasion of Kabul. Crenshaw asserted this was indicative of months of the administration's ignoring of bipartisan calls to evacuate Afghan allies.

In the end, he sees little accomplishment in the events that have unfolded.

"Oh, but at least you get to say you brought the troops home. Well, troops like me don't need your support," he said. "We don't need your pity. We don't need your compassion. We're not victims. We know exactly why we were going which is why I say our service was not in vain."

As the U.S. makes its final stand in the region in its evacuation of its citizens and Afghan allies, Crenshaw said he hopes the country stands its ground. The Taliban recently declared a "red line" on the August 31 deadline, stating Americans must be gone by that date. Crenshaw said he sees the Taliban as "terrorists" and believes Biden must not give in to their demands until American objectives are met.

"We need to send a very clear message to the Taliban: We're not negotiating about our deadline," he said. "If you get in our way when we are extracting Americans, we will kill you. That is the only message that Biden should be delivering to the Taliban."