Granite State Times

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire) did not respond to requests for comment about her position on President Joe Biden's handling of the recent Afghanistan crisis that has resulted in 13 service members being killed.

Fox31 News reported that 15 residents of New Hampshire have died over the course of the war in Afghanistan.

In late August, U.S. troops had been helping to evacuate Afghanistan allies and Americans who were in 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, published in The Washington Examiner.

Adding to Biden’s negative approval rating over the handling of evacuations is that the 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 op-ed from 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 General Jack Keane told Fox News was “insulting” and that American citizens have a right to know, according to The Washington Examiner.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) 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 website said.

The Taliban created checkpoints en route to the airport, which had stalled efforts by Americans to flee the country via the international airport in Kabul.

In the end, Biden stuck with the plan of removing U.S. forces by the end of August. The war in Afghanistan began Oct. 7, 2001, and officially ended Aug. 30, 2021.