Tuesday, August 31, 2021
US President rejects criticism
Biden: “The war in Afghanistan is over now”
US President Biden vehemently rejects criticism of the end of the mission in Afghanistan. He had no other choice, the war had to come to an end. Biden also sees the controversial evacuation from Kabul as a success under the circumstances. But he makes a clear statement about global terror.
US President Joe Biden has resolutely rejected criticism after the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan was completed. The evacuation mission of the past few weeks to rescue Western citizens and Afghan local staff was an “extraordinary success,” said Biden in a televised address in the White House. “We have completed one of the largest airlifts in history”. No country has ever done anything like it.
In his militant speech, Biden also defended his decision to end the military operation until August 31. His predecessor Donald Trump had signed an agreement with the Taliban and promised the withdrawal of US troops – originally even in May. He now had the choice between two evils – to complete the withdrawal or to “escalate” the conflict with the radical Islamic Taliban. Then he would have had to send “thousands” of additional soldiers into the country and wage the war in “a third decade”. “It was time to end this war,” said Biden. “The war in Afghanistan is now over.” Biden stressed that he was the fourth American president to have waged the war in Afghanistan. Biden said that he had already promised to end the war when he ran for office.
The US had completed its 20-year military operation in Afghanistan on Tuesday night. The last soldiers left the capital Kabul on board a US military aircraft.
Biden: Earlier trigger would not have changed anything
Biden has come under massive criticism because of the sometimes chaotic circumstances of the troop withdrawal, the takeover of power by the Taliban and last week’s attack near Kabul airport, which resulted in more than a hundred deaths. 13 US soldiers were among the dead in the attack. He also rejected this criticism. Biden assessed the “challenges” that were faced with the withdrawal as inevitable. He also emphasizes that a withdrawal in June, for example, would also have ensured that thousands of people would have flocked to the airport. An earlier evacuation would have made no difference.
Biden is also criticized for the fact that numerous US citizens were left behind in Afghanistan. The President has now reiterated that the US is determined to help them leave the country if they so wish. “There is no deadline for the remaining Americans.” Their departure will be made possible if they so wish.
Biden also looked to the future. He pointed out that terrorist organizations existed in many other countries – such as al-Qaeda or Al-Shabab – and that the US would continue to fight them. Terrorists have migrated to other countries, one has to adapt to that, said Biden. He made it clear: “We’re not done with you yet!”
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