Joe Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan has been condemned by families who say the rapid Taliban takeover is a 'slap in the face' to US troops killed while fighting there.  

One mother, whose son was among the 2,300 Americans killed in Afghanistan, said his efforts were 'in vain' and that leaving the country was a 'violent retreat'. 

Another woman - whose son is a 101st Airborne Division soldier tweeted: '(The withdrawal) is a slap in the face to the soldiers and families of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice when we fought for the freedom of the Afghan people'. 

'We left there knowing the job was not done when there was massive pullout and that's why the ones there remained, to train and ready the Afghanistan people to be self-sufficient and have the equipment and strategic abilities to survive the Taliban.'

Speaking to DailyMail.com, the mom, who did not want to be named, said that her son served in the US Army for 20 years. He served two long tours to Afghanistan and then three shorter tours there and in Iraq.   

She added: 'I've cried tears since yesterday because it just hurts to see all of that time, effort, lives, going down the tubes. 

'So many of his division lost their lives. He witnessed it,' the mother explained. 

'He was there when Sadam's sons were killed. He saw officers shot at point blank range. 

'It's hard to believe that all who fought so hard, who died, who will never be the same because of mental illness or loss of facilities was all in vain.' 

'He feels emotional as well. All that he gave up to serve, which was his honor to do for our country, has been lost. He missed his babies growing up. 

'That's huge to a young father. He's angry. As am I. This administration has made a mockery of our efforts,' she continued.

Meanwhile, Army widow Jennie Taylor, whose husband, Brent, died in 2018 while serving in Afghanistan, expressed similar feelings.

'It hurts to watch the city fall, it hurts to watch the country fall,' Taylor told on Sunday. 

Brent served multiple tours in Afghanistan. Taylor says her husband knew a situation like the one currently unfolding in the country was possible, but he made the sacrifice to serve regardless.

'He went to war in 2018 knowing what happened today was likely to have happened - or at least could have happened. And he didn't say 'Nah, that's a lost cause, I'm out of here, I'm not willing to put on my boots for that one.'' 

Taylor is concerned that families will feel their sacrifices were in vain and urges Americans to remember and honor the heroism of the nation's soldiers. 

'He and thousands, tens of thousands - hundreds of thousands of brave American men and women and our allied forces - have gone to war anyway,' she said. 

'As we get so deep into the politics and policies of war, I worry we're going to have service members who have served in those wars feel that they fought in vain. I worry there's Gold Star families like mine who are going to say I lost my loved one for no reason. And I just can't get myself to think that way, I don't see it that way.'

Taylor continued: 'We've got to make sure that as we say well, was this war just a waste? We can't — cannot — let that translate into thinking that the service our military men and women have provided is a waste.' 

Sue Claussen Bunger shared a to her son, Erik, who served as a member of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2002 - 2004. She said Erik died in 2020 from injuries related to his service 

Bunger said that she has 'been giving the situation in Afghanistan a lot of thought' and reflecting on conversations she used to have with Erik. 

'Erik would be sick about what is happening to the Afghani people, but would reiterate that this was all handled wrong from the beginning (2001). When you spend 20 years fighting in a region, then you leave and the region falls back into terrorists hands, it's time to realize that terrorism is not a person nor country, it is a war strategy. We need to learn how to combat that strategy with global support,' she wrote.

Bunger argued that 'nation building is not an effective strategy to fight terrorism'. She said that Erik believed the former president George W. Bush's Administration 'concocted a war in Iraq and took their eyes off Afghanistan,' allowing the Taliban to regroup.

'Anyone who was part of that administration needs to stand down and refrain from giving 'advice' now,' she asserted.

She also said that many veterans are going to feel like 'they sacrificed for nothing and a lot of Afghani people were killed for nothing'. 

Bunger also noted that Afghani fighters told the 82nd Airborne Division back in 2002 that 'when you leave we are leaving'.

'What's the alternative? Stay forever? Are you willing to risk your life or the life of a loved one? Too many armchair 'warriors' today,' Bunger wrote. 'Most importantly, Erik often said, 'Don't tout democracy in other places, when you won't fully support democracy in your own land.''