The Pentagon said there was no sign that the Afghan government and army collapsed within 11 days

The Biden administration is defending its actions in Afghanistan, which led to the downfall of the country’s government and military. Taliban As the United States began to withdraw its troops after nearly 20 years of war.

Mark Milly, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the meeting: “I or anyone else did not see any signs that this army or this government will collapse within 11 days.” Pentagon on Wednesday.

Milly said that intelligence assessments indicate that it may collapse quickly, but it is estimated that most of them will be weeks, months or even years after the withdrawal of the US military.

With the control of the Taliban, the United States is now scrambling to evacuate thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies trapped in the country.

“Obviously, we are far from what we want to achieve in terms of letting these numbers pass,” the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Tell reporters the pace of getting people out of Afghanistan.

Kabul Airport has been flooded by people trying to flee, and there are widespread reports that Taliban militants are preventing people from going to the airport.

“We have seen reports that, in violation of their public statements and their commitments to our government, the Taliban are preventing Afghans who wish to leave the country from reaching the airport,” Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told another briefing on Wednesday. Tell reporters. .

President Joe Biden In his prepared speech on Monday, he talked about the situation in Afghanistan, but has not answered reporters’ questions about the crisis for more than a week.

On Wednesday, Biden and the Vice President Kamala Harris The national security adviser once again listened to a briefing on the Afghanistan issue. According to the White House, they discussed efforts to speed up evacuation and promote safe passage to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Shortly after taking office, Biden announced that the US military would withdraw from Afghanistan on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attack this year-ending the longest war in US history.The deadline was revised last month, with American armies At the end of August, all troops will be dispatched.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled hastily, and the Taliban controlled several cities before finally entering Kabul on Sunday.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.