 Joining us on the news tonight is Justin Higgins. He works at the U.S. Department of State as a director of the Office of Press and Public Affairs, East Asia Bureau. And we also have international affairs expert Paul Ejime. Gentlemen, you're welcome to the news now. Thank you for having us. Well, thank you for joining us. Justin Higgins, let's start with you. Why did the U.S. withdraw at this time? Yes, so, Maureen, thank you for having me. I actually am a former congressional advisor. I do not currently work at the State Department, but the United States decided to withdraw at this time because the agreement was made under President Trump, like your clip with Secretary of State Lincoln, so eloquently demonstrated. But also because of domestic political considerations, the war is not popular here in the United States. It's been going on for over two decades, and the time had come, the Biden administration had decided that whether or not we withdrew now or in five years from now, there wouldn't have been a material change on the situation in Afghanistan after U.S. forces withdrew. So those were the calculations that were made, and that is why we withdrew right now. How and why did the Afghan-Italiban gain ground so quickly, would you say? Because billions have been spent, over 20 years of investment, casualties. Why and how do you think they moved in so quickly? Well, it's a very sad day for the women and children in Afghanistan after so many civil liberties have been made, so I do want to highlight that. This cannot be lost in the quick advances of the Taliban. What we're hearing is that ultimately the Afghan government was extremely corrupt. It was a kleptocracy. The number of forces that were listed in the security forces and the military and the police on paper obviously did not bear themselves out in reality. It was more used as a laundering scheme for U.S. funds, the billions of dollars that you're talking about, and lastly, the government didn't have the requisite support of the people to stay and fight. So those were really the main factors here that led to the fall of the country within six or seven days. OK, Paula, Jimé, let's come to you. Yes, Maureen. Yeah, so the Taliban have entered the country's capital Kabul. How do you interpret this regarding, well, in view of how the Afghanistan people have fought the government and the military? Would you describe it as failure on their part? Well, on whose part now is it? The government and the military. Yes, the Afghanistan government and military. I think if you classify it as failure, I think the American strategy has failed. There was failure of intelligence, failure of strategy. And what has happened was that the Biden inherited what you can call, you know, a poison chalice. And then he didn't know what to do with the sudden decision by that administration to withdraw. And so when he took over, he was really do you proceed with it? Or do you? I mean, so it was a 22 situation that Biden found himself found himself. And this is the catastrophe that has them evolved now. Imagine 20 years ago when American special forces were in Afghanistan, you know, sacking and then putting the Taliban's on their feet. Today, it is almost as if American forces are NATO. This is what is happening. They have all these acts as it were. They started them, you know, the Afghans and then leaving them with the Taliban's from whom they had tried to. They will tell you they went there to send them. But they haven't done so. And that is the danger with, you know, invasion. That is the danger with imposition of foreign forces on them or the sovereign to leave. Perhaps this is an opportunity for Afghans, Afghanistan to pick up the pieces. And then the Taliban will also know that. Hello, it looks like we lost all more. Yeah, I think I've lost Mr. Jamal there. No, if Afghanistan can. Can you hear me now? Yes, we can go ahead, please. OK, so I'm saying that perhaps this is an opportunity for Afghanistan to pick up the pieces for its life and the void of foreign interference and foreign forces. Because America went there because of, you know, 9-11, 9-11. Well, yes, Osama bin Laden was killed and all that. But after that, that is the issue. You begin a war or you go somewhere, but you never prepare for the aftermath. That is always the issue. So you're saying America didn't know when to leave and. That happened in Libya, that happened in Iraq and now Afghanistan. OK, let's bring this back home to Nigeria. Does it give any pointer to Nigeria's fight against insurgency? No, the lesson that can be learned there is that nobody can love you more than yourselves. If foreign forces or intervention can come, you leverage that. But the fights, the real responsibility for the security of any nation lies with the citizens of that country, lies with the government, and then all the apparatus of government. You can get support from outside, but do the heavy lifting yourself. And that is when it will be real. It will be authentic. It will be sustaining. And then it will be long lasting. All right, Justin, let's get back to you. The attack of the US mission in Benghazi years ago was politically damaging for Hillary Clinton. Do you think this latest move will affect anybody's political future in the US? I do not. I think that this was a consideration of the drawdown in the timeline that we are now having for everybody who's watching. We have elections coming up in November of 2022 that will be vital for the Democrats. That's why these headlines coming out now. And this is really one of the reasons why it was a consideration, rather than delaying it six months or a year. I believe that ultimately, Americans are of the mindset that forever wars are not what we should be doing. And that this will ultimately be largely forgotten by the voting public. And if it's not forgotten, they will praise the fact that Joe Biden ultimately brought back America's sons and daughters out of harm's way. What do you think the international community can do to check the Taliban advance in Afghanistan and the region? Well, I think that the United States, along with our partners abroad, will need to work very closely to maintain some type of special forces footprint in the region. And then other experts say that we need to work very closely with Pakistan to ensure that extremism does not well up more so in their borders than it already exists. So it will really be a community led effort to ensure that extremism doesn't really prop up in Afghanistan now that the very repressive, very draconian Taliban regime is in power, who will likely slam down on civil liberties for women and children. And it's a very depressing state. But now we need to manage it from the outside and hope that terrorism does not come back to the West. OK, well, Paul, let me get back to you. Yes. Should Nigeria and Africa be worried about this development in Afghanistan, knowing the security situation in Africa? Very much so. You see, you don't start a war that you know you cannot finish. America has gone there. The NATO, they have gone there. They will tell you they have achieved what they went there. But will you really, in honesty, say that anything has been achieved? They drove out, drove away the Taliban's. And today the Taliban's are now you saw them in pictures, images of how they took over the office, the presidential palace of President Ghani. Is that victory for America? So what I'm saying now, and that should be the lesson that governments in Africa should govern in a way they respect the rights of their citizens, govern according to international standards, respecting the rights of citizens, you know, cater for the well being, be inclusive and, you know, engage so that you have the benefit of democracy. Because if you don't do that, you will always leave room for insurgency, like that is happening now. First thing all over and nobody knows how it will end. Today it is a kidnapping, terrorism, insurgency, jihadist extremism. All are coming because of, you know, this contentment. Let governments make sure that those as much as possible is not likely that there will be without that is a war that you have a space with that conflict, but it's to be minimized. Take care of the root causes of some of these insurgencies and insurrections. I think by the time you do that, the world will be a lot more peaceful and, you know, go about the economic development and then taking care of the well-being of people. That is what government is all about. Thank you so much, Paul Ejima. Paul Ejima is an international affairs expert. Thanks for your time. I also had Justin Higgins, who used to work, former at the U.S. Department of State as a director of the Office of Press and Public Affairs East Asia Bureau. Thank you so much, both of you gentlemen. Thank you for having us. All right. Hello, hope you enjoyed the news. Please do subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.