Inhofe, who is his caucus’s ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, noted the group could remain in that nation until at least the spring of 2022.’

‘Maintaining a small troop presence for an additional six months would achieve important goals,’ Inhofe wrote in an article on The Wall Street Journal’s website, referring to Biden’s September 11 deadline for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The lawmaker added that the extended timeline would help Washington ‘maintain a rapid counterterrorism force as the political and security environment evolves; enable more effective intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.’

It would also facilitate to protect the US embassy during what the intelligence community predicts will be a chaotic transition; and allow more time to process visas for Afghans who helped US troops and now fear for their lives.’

Inhofe argued that Biden is dismissing conditions on the ground in making the decision to withdraw and should maintain ‘a relatively small troop presence until the 2020 US-Taliban Agreement is fully implemented.’

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