US President Joe Biden's widely-criticized military withdrawal from Afghanistan could lead to the Taliban, the country's new Islamist rulers, obtaining nuclear weapons from Pakistan, former US national security advisor John Bolton said Sunday on the WABC 770 radio station.
Bolton, who served as national security advisor under then-President Donald Trump, said it was possible that these nuclear weapons could be obtained from Pakistan should Islamist insurgents get ahold of them.
He criticized Biden's withdrawal from the country, which allowed the Taliban to rapidly take over, bringing it once again under Islamist rule.
Since serving as Trump's national security advisor, Bolton has become a vocal critic of American foreign policy, in addition to being critical of his former boss. He has also been vocal in his views of US policies regarding the Middle East, especially Iran, and has expressed his support of Israel's right to act in its own security interests.
In particular, he has voiced strong support for preemptive strikes against hostile regimes, specifically Iran and North Korea.
Bolton also had plenty to compliment Biden for, however, specifically regarding the nuclear submarine deal with Australia.
The deal, he explained, was an example of a broader US response to China. This does not mean that Washington is giving Australia nuclear missiles, just nuclear submarines.
"These are what we call hunter-killer submarines," Bolton explained to WABC 770, saying that it allows the US through Australia to watch China as it builds up a significant naval force that could, in theory, allow it to go after Taiwan or enter the Indian Ocean.
“It’s a huge step forward for us in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean," he said: "It’s a real signal to China that we are determined not to let them just run wild.”