Watson Coleman Calls For Helping Allies Amid Afghanistan Crisis

Princeton NJ

17 August, 2021

10:51 AM

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MERCER COUNTY, NJ — With the Taliban solidifying its grip over Afghanistan and the crisis accelerating, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said it was time to "turn to diplomacy" and help allies. In a Twitter post on Monday evening, Coleman said she supported President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. "Twenty years is too long. Too many soldiers and families have been forever changed. There is NO easy answer," Watson Coleman said on Twitter. "I support the President's withdrawal from Afghanistan. It is now time to turn to diplomacy. That will be the answer, not continued military force." Two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban seized power in the county after a two-decade war. As Taliban fighters seized control, the U.S. was forced to evacuate embassy personnel in Kabul and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled as the Taliban closed in on Sunday. Chaos erupted at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Monday as ordinary Afghan citizens sought to flee the country, fearing for their lives. "I pray for the protection and safety of all Americans - diplomats, humanitarian workers, journalists - as well as our allies still in Afghanistan seeking help," Watson Coleman said. "It is both morally right and in our security interests to offer them protection." Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email [email protected] Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news.