Hidalgo voices support for 'Afghanistan veterans, families' after Taliban takes control of country

Reaction to the rapid advancement of the Taliban across Afghanistan has been met with varying degrees of disbelief, while many contend the takeover of the radical group was inevitable.

As Taliban forces overwhelmed Afghan National Army troops imposing control over most of the country’s provinces, including the capital, Kabul, which fell on Aug. 15, Judge Lina Hidalgo, head of Harris County’s governing body, was quick to come out in support of veterans as Afghanistan citizens are overcome by the Taliban government’s swift takeover of the country. 

On the evening of Kabul’s capture, as the world watched footage of desperate Afghans crowding the tarmac at Kabul Airport, Hidalgo tweeted, "Thinking about all of our Afghanistan veterans and their families right now. Forever grateful for your service."

Stephen Biddle, professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, told CNBC that the Biden administration’s announcement of full U.S. withdrawal simply accelerated Taliban action. 

“When the U.S. announced a total withdrawal, that sent a signal to Afghan soldiers and police that the end was near, and converted chronically poor motivation into acute collapse as nobody wanted to be the last man standing after the others gave up,” he said.

The pace of how the Taliban regained control at the twilight of the war in this landlocked southwest Asian nation has sent those shockwaves reverberating across the world and even in the White House. 

Retired U.S. Marine Michael Zacchea led an American-trained Iraqi Army battalion during the Iraq War. He posed important questions to CNBC: “Why were the Taliban able to so quickly take over? This is a masterpiece, frankly, operationally. Why were they able to take the country faster than we did in 2001?”

Many former servicemen are vocal in their support of the thousands of Afghan interpreters and U.S. aids who find themselves trapped in the country by the Taliban’s rapid takeover.

Hidalgo, the first woman to be elected county judge, is in charge of the third largest county in the U.S., and is a staunch supporter of military service personnel. During her tenure, Hidalgo created a new, stand-alone Veterans Services Department in Harris County, doubling the budget and working with area entities to be sure veterans and their families receive support services, according to the county's website.

American troops were deployed to Afghanistan in late 2001 to respond to the Sept. 1, 2001 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, and approximately 2,500 have been killed in the long-embattled country as of April 2021. Nearly 3,900 American contractors have also died during the 20 years of combat. The war also has taken a toll on Afghan’s own, with approximately 66,000 Afghan national military and police deaths and almost 48,000 civilian casualties, AP News reported.

With Aug. 31 as the deadline for the U.S. troop withdrawal as set by President Joe Biden, the 20-year war in Afghanistan is considered America's longest war, according to AP.