WASHINGTON — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced his commitment to helping Afghan refugees who helped the U.S. with its mission in the region over the last 20-years.
Hogan's comments come as the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.
The U.S. is currently on a mission with 6,000 troops to evacuate the last of the American citizens and Afghan refugees that are stuck at Kabul's airport waiting for safe passage.
"I am announcing Maryland’s commitment to receive more Afghan interpreters who have contributed to U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. Many of these Afghan citizens — our allies — bravely risked their lives to support our efforts, and we have a moral obligation to help them," Hogan said in a video posted to Twitter.
Hogan expressed frustration in President Joe Biden's Administration, calling it a "rushed and irresponsible withdrawal."
President Biden said Monday that he does not regret his decision on pulling out U.S. troops, but did say the White House was caught off guard by how quick the Taliban would make it to Kabul, and that Afghan security forces would so quickly fail to fight off the offensive.
"We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we couldn’t provide them with was the will to fight," said Biden in part of his Monday address to the nation.
Senior U.S. military officials say the chaos at the airport left seven people dead Monday, including some who fell from a departing American military transport jet. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss ongoing operations.
U.S. troops resorted to firing warning shots and using helicopters to clear a path for transport aircraft.
The Pentagon confirmed Monday that U.S. forces shot and killed two individuals it said were armed, as Biden ordered another battalion of troops — about 1,000 troops — to secure the airfield, which was closed to arrivals and departures for hours Monday because of civilians on the runway.