Former President George W. Bush said during a Fox News interview that aired Thursday that completely withdrawing U.S. armed forces from Afghanistan is not necessary and could create a vacuum in the region.
“I’ve always warned that no U.S. presence in Afghanistan will create a vacuum, and into that vacuum is likely to come people who treat women as second-class citizens,” Bush said during the interview.
“I’m also deeply concerned about the sacrifices of our soldiers, and our intelligence community, will be forgotten,” the former president said.
“And you know, was it necessary? I don’t think so,” Bush added.
The comments took place as Bush discussed his new book “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants.” The title includes a collection of images featuring several paintings by the former president.
President Joe Biden announced in April that the 2,500 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan would be pulled out by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
