‘Iraq WMDs’ Architect John Bolton Claims Terrorists Could Get Nukes in Wake of US Afghan Pullout

The ex-Trump national security advisor, whose former boss once referred to as “one of the dumbest people in Washington,” has been criticised by detractors over his hawkish foreign policy advice – including unabashed support for US military interventions and regime change operations across the globe.

Former Trump National Security Advisor and George W. Bush-era Undersecretary of State John Bolton fears that the US pullout from Afghanistan could lead to the Taliban* or another terrorist group getting nukes.

“Taliban in control of Afghanistan threatens the possibility of terrorists taking control in Pakistan too. And there are already a lot of radicals in the Pakistani military. But if the whole country gets taken over by terrorists, that means maybe 150 nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists, which is a real threat to us and our friends,” Bolton said, speaking to New York-based radio station WABC on Sunday.

“But beyond that, China, which already has a lot of influence in Pakistan, is gonna increase its influence, put more pressure on India. So this is a big development in that part of the world,” Bolton added.

The former policymaker suggested that the US has to “look at China” and its threat to US interests “across the board” in order to “prevail” on all fronts. “I think the United States needs to come to grips with this threat, needs to talk to its friends, needs to build up alliances, and needs to be prepared for a long struggle here across the full spectrum of potential power – economic, political, and military,” he said.

The former national security advisor’s comments come in the wake of remarks by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the United Nations General Assembly last week stressing that Beijing would not “seek hegemony” by “invading or bullying others,” and urging other countries to promote “win-win cooperation in conducting international relations.”

Bolton to Biden: Take Out Pakistan’s Nukes

Bolton, who became one of the principle architects of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, has criticised Pakistan repeatedly in recent weeks for its alleged “two-faced approach” to Washington in the aftermath of last month’s calamitous US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Speaking to the Washington Post last month, Bolton hinted that the White House should consider taking “preventative action” to destroy Pakistan’s nuclear weapons if it became apparent that “a future terrorist regime in Islamabad (or even today’s government or like-minded successors) appears ready to transfer nuclear capabilities to terrorists.”

Bolton has also blasted Biden and his former boss, Donald Trump, over their decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan, suggesting that the risk of a radicalised Pakistan was one of the reasons American troops should have stayed in the war-torn country indefinitely.

Bolton, 72, has supported nearly every US regime change war and colour revolution attempt since the 1970s, starting from the US war in Vietnam, which he backed politically but did not fight in thanks to a student deferment and enlistment in the Maryland Air National Guard. Bolton’s detractors have dubbed him a “chicken hawk” – someone who is ready to send other people into harm’s way while being too much of a “chicken” to fight in such conflicts himself.

* A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.