Less than 24 hours after the last United States military flight left Kabul, President Joe Biden mounted a defiant defence of the withdrawal, saying it was “the right decision” to end the US’s 20-year military presence in Afghanistan.
Speaking in a firm tone from the White House on Tuesday, Biden said keeping US troops in control of the airport in the Afghan capital beyond an August 31 withdrawal deadline would have exposed them to heightened security risk.
“Let me be clear: leaving August 31 is not due to an arbitrary deadline. It was designed to save American lives,” he said.
Biden cited his predecessor Donald Trump’s deal with the Taliban that ensured the withdrawal, but took responsibility for the final decision to pull all US troops out of the country.
“I was not going to extend this forever war, and I was not extending a forever exit,” he said. “The decision to end the military lift operations at Kabul airport was based on unanimous recommendation of my civilian and military advisers.”
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