Hawkeye Reporter

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) condemned President Joe Biden's handling of the Afghanistan crisis that so far has resulted in 13 service members being killed.

“The chaos, and now catastrophic bloodshed, that has ensued in Afghanistan over the last few weeks was brought on by the president’s haphazard and hasty withdrawal of U.S. forces," Ernst told the Hawkeye Reporter. "Pulling our troops out before ensuring the safety of American citizens, our partners and allies, and our military equipment was simply incompetent. Right now, my office is working around the clock to do all we can to help both Iowans and our allies get out of Afghanistan. 

"While the people are the top priority, it’s unconscionable that billions of dollars of U.S. weapons and hardware intended to fight the Taliban are now in the very hands of the Taliban fighters. It’s truly unacceptable, and that’s why I joined my Senate colleagues in calling for a full accounting of the U.S. weapons and military equipment left in Afghanistan by the Secretary of Defense. 

"We are forever indebted to the Afghanistan veterans who’ve kept us safe over the past twenty years. They led the response to 9/11, caught Osama bin Laden and kept foreign terrorists off our shores. As a veteran of the Global War on Terror, I’m forever grateful to these heroes and their families," 

KDVR reported that 21 Iowans have died as a result of the Afghanistan crisis.

Over the course of several days, U.S. troops have been helping to evacuate Afghanistan allies and Americans who are within the war-torn country following the swift takeover by the Taliban forces. 

The Taliban’s taking of Kabul, the nation’s capital, with little resistance and the hurried efforts from the Biden administration to get people out has faced criticism from both political parties and has hurt his approval ratings. 

More than 69% of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, according to data from a Trafalgar poll cited in an opinion piece in The Washington Examiner.

Biden State Department has been unable to assist all the Americans stranded in Afghanistan. The department instructed people not to call the embassy for help, asserting in an official advisory, “Do not call the U.S. Embassy in Kabul for details or updates about the flight,” according to an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal.

The Pentagon has yet to release statistics regarding how many Americans are stranded in the war-torn country, a notion that Fox News strategic analyst and retired Gen. Jack Keane said was “insulting” because the country has a right to know.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) has organized a hotline for Americans who have been left behind in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American forces. Americans can call 501-223-9081 or email evac@cotton.senate.gov. 

“The situation is dire, but we’ll do everything in our power to help keep you informed and to help get you out,” Cotton’s said in a press release.

The Taliban created checkpoints to the airport that have stalled efforts by Americans to flee the country via the international airport in Kabul, according to the Journal's opinion piece.

Biden has said that he will stick with the plan of removing US forces by the end of the month, which could result in “dozens of armored vehicles and U.S. Army Apache gunships” abandoned in the country, Fox News reported.