Colorado Springs Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn on Monday called the situation in Afghanistan “far worse than the fall of Saigon,” while slamming the Pentagon, intelligence agencies and President Joe Biden.

A leading Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Lamborn said the Pentagon and intelligence agencies downplayed the possibility of a Taliban takeover while boosting Biden’s planned withdrawal of American troops, concluding the 20-year war effort.

“Just weeks ago, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs assured me that a total takeover by the Taliban was unlikely,” Lamborn said in an email.

The congressman warned that American equipment now in Taliban hands – including armored vehicles, tactical aircraft and weapons from M-4 rifles to howitzers – could destabilize the region and threaten U.S. security.

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“When Saigon fell, the North Vietnamese never posed a threat to the homeland of the United States,” Lamborn said. “However, in this case, we know that Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups will attempt to take advantage of the failed state in Afghanistan.”

The Biden administration faced criticism from all corners Monday as televised images showed people clinging to American planes in a bid to flee Kabul.

Afghans sprinted along the tarmac in an apparent attempt to prevent a U.S. military aircraft from taking off without them.

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“We are witnessing a historic failure of intelligence and planning by the Administration, Pentagon, and intelligence community,” Lamborn said.

The U.S. pull-out from Afghanistan has been in the works for years. The Obama administration floated a plan that would leave a small U.S. force in Afghanistan while withdrawing most ground troops.

President Donald Trump, in a deal forged with the Taliban and the Afghanistan government, ordered a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces by May 1.

That plan was initially put on hold when Biden took office in January. Biden later ordered American troops out by Sept. 11.

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Lamborn has consistently supported leaving some U.S. troops in Afghanistan to bolster and train that nation’s fledgling military.

“The Administration’s precipitous withdrawal has been a complete failure and has thrown the country into disarray,” Lamborn said.

Lamborn isn’t buying a Taliban pledge to root out terrorist groups.

“This debacle will reverberate across time and space, damaging our image and sowing terrorism and chaos throughout an already volatile region,” he warned.