ORLANDO, Fla. – The 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan ended last week after the last American aircraft departed Kabul’s airport and cleared Afghan airspace.
The flight marked the end of frenzied and deadly withdrawal when a suicide bomber set off an explosive near the airport, which killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 160 Afghan civilians.
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U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Daytona Beach, told anchor Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly on ClickOrlando.com” the ramifications from the U.S. involvement and exit in the country will likely have long-lasting effects.
“What’s so frustrating and infuriating to me is [the war] is not over,” Waltz said. “In fact, I think the way this has unfolded, it’s just going to extend it.”
Waltz, a former U.S. Army Green Beret with multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, says he expects terror organizations to grow now that the U.S. has left Afghanistan.
“President Biden may want to be done with Afghanistan, but it’s not done with us,” Waltz said. “I understand the frustration with the length of time we’ve been there, but as it took decades to defeat communism and fascism, it’s going to take time to defeat this ideology. But I want to do it over there, not back here. I, for one, am not going to wait until we have another Pulse nightclub or San Bernadino or God-forbid another 9/11 before we take action.”
Watch the full interview in the video player at the top of this story.