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Seth Moulton MP (archive record)
Photo: Brian Snyder / Reuters
The two US MPs Seth Moulton (Democrats) and Peter Meijer (Republicans) are criticized for a secret trip to Kabul in the middle of the evacuation phase.
The visit of the two at the airport in the Afghan capital took up important resources that would be needed for the evacuation mission, said Nancy Pelosi, the chairwoman of the US House of Representatives.
"It's deadly serious," said the Democrat.
"We don't want MPs to travel there."
A US government representative expressed himself even more clearly to the Washington Post: "That is stupid and selfish."
They would have exposed diplomats and soldiers to an increased risk "so that they can have a moment in front of the camera."
A diplomat told the newspaper about "one of the most irresponsible things about MPs" that he had heard of.
Moulton and Meijer - two Iraq veterans - traveled to Kabul on Tuesday to get an idea of the situation.
"We kept the visit a secret to reduce the risk and impact on the mission, and we insisted on flying out on a plane that wasn't full," Moulton wrote on Twitter.
They would not have taken a seat away from anyone.
Pelosi stressed in a statement that MPs should not fly to Afghanistan at the request of the Pentagon and the State Department.
"Travel by MPs to Afghanistan and neighboring states would unnecessarily divert resources that are needed for the main mission to safely and quickly evacuate Americans and vulnerable Afghans from Afghanistan."
After the Taliban came to power, the USA and other western states are taking their nationals and local Afghan workers out of the country in a feverish evacuation mission.
Time is of the essence: US President Joe Biden confirmed on Tuesday his intention to end the US military operation in Afghanistan by August 31.
The evacuation flights are likely to end this week because a few more days will then be needed to withdraw the US soldiers deployed to secure Kabul airport.
as / AFP