- Less than 24 hours after the last U.S. military flight left Kabul, President Joe Biden defended the withdrawal in a provocative manner.
- Biden said that allowing the U.S. military to take control of the Afghan capital airport after the August 31 withdrawal deadline will expose them to higher security risks.
- Biden cited the agreement between his predecessor Donald Trump and the Taliban to ensure the withdrawal of troops, but was responsible for the final decision to withdraw all US troops from the country.
Less than 24 hours after the last U.S. military flight left Kabul, President Joe Biden defended the withdrawal in a provocative manner, saying that ending the 20-year U.S. military presence in Afghanistan was the “right decision”.
Biden said in a firm tone at the White House on Tuesday that after the August 31 withdrawal deadline, allowing the U.S. military to control the Afghan capital airport will expose them to higher security risks.
He said:
Let me be clear: leaving August 31 is not due to an arbitrary deadline. It aims to save American lives.
Biden cited the agreement between his predecessor Donald Trump and the Taliban to ensure the withdrawal of troops, but was responsible for the final decision to withdraw all US troops from the country.
“I will not extend this eternal war, nor will I extend the eternal withdrawal,” he said.
“The decision to terminate the military lift operation at Kabul Airport was based on the unanimous recommendations of my civilian and military advisers.
“Members of Congress and Washington’s European allies have urged the president to extend the withdrawal of the airport beyond the end of this month. But Taliban officials warned that if the U.S. military does not fully withdraw as planned, there will be “consequences.”
After the Group of Seven (G7) virtual meeting held last week, European Council President Charles Michel stated that the European Union emphasized to Washington that “airports must be secured within the time required to complete operations” – This call has been responded to by many American lawmakers, including some from Biden’s own Democratic Party.
“I certainly believe that as long as it is necessary to let all Americans leave and fulfill our moral and ethical obligations to our Afghan partners, we will maintain a military presence,” said Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. , Said earlier this month.
Earlier this month, the Taliban took over Afghanistan in a blitzkrieg and arrived in Kabul on August 15 when President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and government forces collapsed.
Almost immediately after the Pentagon announced Monday that the last US flight had left Afghanistan, Republican House of Representatives leader Kevin McCarthy summoned Republican veterans in Congress to condemn Biden.
Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a veteran who had fought in Afghanistan, accused the government of surrendering to the Taliban, which violated Washington’s national security interests.
“They like the slogan of’No more endless wars’,” he said. “Our foreign policy is based on emotional slogans, which makes the United States more insecure, not more secure.”
On Tuesday, Biden argued that as the United States shifts its foreign policy to focus on global competition with China and Russia, it is in Washington’s strategic interest to withdraw from Afghanistan.
He said: “In this competition, there is nothing more willing and hopeful for China or Russia than the United States to get into trouble again in Afghanistan.”
‘Extraordinary success’
Biden also defended the way the troops were withdrawn-despite the chaos at Kabul Airport. He called the evacuation mission an “extraordinary success” and said the United States has airlifted more than 120,000 people out of the country.
“We have completed one of the largest airlifts in history… this number is more than twice what most experts think is possible. No country, no country has done such a thing in the entire history,” Biden says
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reported from Washington, DC before Biden’s speech that the images from Kabul in the past two weeks “have caused tremendous damage” to the US president.
This is an army described by many politicians as the most powerful military force in the history of the planet. It has been humiliated by the fighters of the rebellious war that lasted for 20 years,” Fisher said. “This is not good for them. Days of the American spirit. “
But Fisher pointed out that a new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 54% of respondents still support the decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. “This is the number Joe Biden will consider,” he said.
Earlier Tuesday, Afghan-American activist Lida Azim warned that the withdrawal of US troops does not necessarily mean that the war is over.
Azim said at the virtual press conference:
If the United States really wants to end an eternal war, it must immediately stop drone attacks and pay compensation and humanitarian assistance to the Afghan civil society abandoned and betrayed by the United States.
However, Biden made it clear in his speech that the US military will continue to conduct air operations in Afghanistan in response to “terrorist threats.”
“We will continue to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and other countries,” the President of the United States said.
“We just don’t need to fight a ground war to do this. We have so-called over-the-horizon capabilities, which means we can fight terrorists and targets without Americans.”
According to family members, on Sunday, the Pentagon stated that the US airstrike targeted ISKP (ISIS-K), an militant from the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, and killed 10 Afghan civilians, including several children.
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