US President Joe Biden admitted on Monday that the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban retaking control happened more quickly than Washington had anticipated, insisted that ending America’s 20-year war was the correct decision.
But Biden refused to back away from his decision to end the American military’s combat mission in the Asian nation, where the US had fought the country’s longest war, asserting that the US mission was “never supposed to be nation building” and blaming the Afghan government for the fall.
“I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces,” Biden said during a speech from the East Room of the White House Monday afternoon.
“That’s why we’re still there. We were clear-eyed about the risks. We planned for every contingency. But I always promised the American people I would be straight with you. The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.”
Biden added that the US national interest in Afghanistan has always been “preventing a terrorist attack on American home land,” and that that US mission had already been met.
Despite saying he was willing to take criticism over the decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, Biden pointed fingers at a “series of others for the unfolding crisis.”
Biden blamed Afghanistan’s armed forces for not standing up to the Taliban’s lightning quick offensive, which put the repressive group back in control of the nation two decades after US troops helped toss the Taliban out of power and the creation of a democratic government.
The President also pointed to the top Afghan leaders as deserving blame.
“So, what happened?” Biden asked. “Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country.”
The President said he had “frank conversations” with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the Afghan delegation to peace talks, earlier this summer, “but — ultimately — they didn’t take the US’ suggestions,” he added.
Source: CNN
