‘Horribly Chaotic’: Erik Prince Slams ‘Clumsy’ US Withdrawal After Psaki Blasts Plane Ticket Scheme
© AP Photo / Gerry Broome
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Earlier reports detailed that the notorious American defense contractor had launched an effort to charge fleeing Afghans at least $6,500 for a plane ticket out of the war-torn nation amid the Taliban’s swift takeover of the nation. The move has been widely condemned, even by the White House.
Former US Navy SEAL Erik Prince recently lashed out at the Biden White House for its “horribly chaotic” withdrawal from Afghanistan, underscoring that the initiative will bring into question the ability for the nation to back its partners.
Prince relayed his beliefs during a Wednesday segment on Fox Nation’s “Tucker Carlson Today,” which aired just a few hours after the White House slammed the defense contractor for selling costly plane tickets out of Afghanistan.
Prince, who founded the controversial Blackwater company that saw four of its contractors convicted of killing innocent civilians during the Iraq War, told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the US has effectively “shattered the confidence” of its allies with how it handled the troop pullout.
“We have shattered the confidence of our European allies and every other ally around the world that America depends [on]… whether you're a CIA agent trying to recruit someone to work for you, or whether you’re a country that … America wants you to side with us versus something that the Chinese want,” Prince said after noting the Biden administration will “destroy what’s left of NATO.”
An overview of the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan August 23, 2021, in this satellite image obtained by Reuters on August 26, 2021.
© REUTERS / MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES
“[Actions taken by the current administration] will definitely figure into people’s thinking how quickly America abandoned its friends in Afghanistan and left in such a horribly chaotic and clumsy manner,” he added.
The speaking engagement went on to see Prince recall an incident in 2008 when US President Joe Biden - then serving as vice president during the Obama administration, former Secretary of State John Kerry, and former US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had gotten lost in a snowstorm.
"They were on a congressional visit to Afghanistan in the winter and their US Army helicopter got lost in a blinding snowstorm and set down in Taliban territory on the side of a mountain," he said. "And the US military launched a ground convoy to get them and they got lost, and the Blackwater guys launched and they did not get lost.”
“We recovered them. We rescued them from Taliban territory," Prince emphasized, noting that he never got a Christmas card over the rescue. “It was veteran contractors doing their job - once again.”
Moments ahead of Fox Nation appearance, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki blasted Prince’s financial endeavors in Afghanistan, which presently include the sale of $6,500 plane tickets for those attempting to depart the Central Asian nation. A higher figure was also alluded to if interested buyers were trapped inside their homes and required additional assistance.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki holds the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. July 19, 2021.
© REUTERS / JONATHAN ERNST
Psaki reacted to the news by saying, “I don't think any human being who has a heart and soul would support efforts to profit off of people’s agony and pain as they’re trying to depart a country and fearing for their lives.”
Despite a bevy of hiccups in the withdrawal process, the US and its allies have managed to successfully evacuate thousands of nationals and Afghan allies. Figures previously detailed by the Biden White House noted that over 80,000 people had been transported from the airport.
Although the US has been urged to extend its military stay in Afghanistan, Biden has refused to budge on the deadline, even after military officials confirmed that Kabul explosions killed at least 13 US soldiers and injured more than a dozen other troops. The American president has vowed to not pass on the military occupation onto yet another commander-in-chief.
