The Biden administration has promoted an official accused of leaving 150,000 U.S. allies behind when U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
The White House last week nominated Tracey Ann Jacobson, 59, as the new ambassador to Iraq – two years after she oversaw the visa process aimed at helping Afghans who had helped the US escape the Taliban.
The deadly withdrawal from Baghdad was an embarrassment for the US, leaving Afghan allies to battle the Taliban after the US spent billions in vain building a democracy.
Before gruesome images emerged of desperate parents handing their babies over to U.S. soldiers, Biden said he was putting Jacobson “in charge of a whole-of-government effort to process, transport and move Afghan special immigration visa applicants and other Afghan allies.”
Jacobson was in charge of helping US allies get visas to flee to the US, but as many as 150,000 people stayed behind and are still waiting to escape, according to the 1208 Foundation, which works to help US allies get visas .
The White House last week nominated Tracey Jacobson, 59, as the new ambassador to Iraq
The deadly US withdrawal from Baghdad embarrassed the US as Afghan allies were left behind in the fight against the Taliban
Before horrific images emerged of desperate parents handing their babies over to American soldiers, Biden said he put Jacobson in charge of removing American allies.
Jacobson was in charge of helping US allies obtain visas to flee to the US, but as many as 150,000 people remained behind and are still waiting to escape
The Taliban and its allies are believed to have killed dozens of former Afghan officials, security force members and people who worked with the international military contingent since the US-led withdrawal.
Her appointment as ambassador to Baghdad comes at a crucial time in the Middle East, as the US faces a regional war against Iran and its allies, which has increased the number of attacks on US troops by Iranian forces in Iraq.
Iran has stepped up its fight against the West since the start of the Hamas-Israel war, with one of its militias taking credit for a drone strike that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan and injured at least 34.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have launched drone strikes on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria almost daily. The groups say this is retaliation for Washington’s support for Israel and an attempt to force American troops to leave the region.
In addition, Iraq would begin talks on possibly ending the American-led anti-ISIS coalition’s presence in the country.
If talks continue, Jacobson would ultimately help oversee the withdrawal of the approximately 2,500 U.S. troops currently in Iraq who are advising and assisting in the fight against ISIS.
Before the promotion, Jacobson served as interim charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia and previously served as ambassador to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kosovo. However, she has not held a high position in any Arab country.
The Taliban and its allies are believed to have killed dozens of former Afghan officials, security force members and people who worked with the international military contingent.
Given her background, Senate Republicans are likely to question Jacobson about her role in Afghanistan when the Senate votes on her nomination later this month.
“Tracey Jacobson played a central role in one of the country’s most inexcusable failures, the abandonment of vetted Afghans who risked their lives for our security, and it will undoubtedly taint and jeopardize her nomination,” said Texas Senator Ted Cruz. The free press.
Meanwhile, the State Department defended Jacobson when reached by The Free Press and said she was proud of her work in Afghanistan.
The statement read: “Ambassador Jacobson is proud of the Afghanistan Task Force she led from mid-July to mid-August 2021, which created streamlined processes in transferring SIV applicants to the United States.
“Thanks to her work and the work of others, we have been able to issue nearly 38,000 SIVs to lead applicants and their eligible family members since January 2021.
“The work is not yet complete and the Department will continue to demonstrate its commitment to the brave Afghans who stood side by side with the United States.”