Veteran, former diplomat react to Taliban taking Afghanistan

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Former State Department Diplomat, Deborah Alexander, spent her fair share of time in Afghanistan, first going in 2002 to help reopen the embassy, work with community members and serve as an ambassador.

“I came back to the U.S. in 2007 and then when President Obama was elected I was asked to go back and i remained there until 2014”

As many people wonder if the withdrawal of American troops contributed to the Taliban’s takeover this weekend…she says the withdrawal is not new…but that what was unexpected was the lack of fight from the Afghan military.

“There’s this really hefty well equipped well trained army none of us expected that that army wouldn’t fight for its institution or for its citizen or for its president” said Alexander.

A thought that rings true for many…Kentucky Afghanistan campaign veteran Doug High feels the same.

He says he and other veterans he’s talked to are stunned at how fast the group invaded.

“You know at the at the great cost of blood and treasure I mean 2400 American lives, 10’s of thousands of afghan citizens lost over the past several decades so clearly there’s a lot we don’t know that’s going on”

High served for a year in Afghanistan after being called to active duty in 2017.

“As a veteran of that campaign and friends with those individuals in Afghanistan obviously I’m just distressed and devastated at what we’re seeing currently”

High says the United States and every country has to be worried about future terrorist attacks.

Not only that, High says the takeover of the Taliban could trigger PTSD or trauma in veterans.

“The feeling that you’ve given a chunk of your life to try and make a more secure Afghanistan, to try to make a safer united states and safer world you know the feeling that it was all for not” said High.

He says the best way to help veterans going through that is to listen and be compassionate.

And for those in Afghanistan, Alexander says it’s more important now than ever to help them get to safety.

“We have to show Afghanistan that we still care, that were still committed and so we really need to ramp up our humanitarian assistance” said Alexander.