U.S. President Joe Biden strongly defended the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan on Monday, affirming that he stands firmly behind this decision and emphasizing that it was time to leave the country after 20 years of war. In a speech to the nation delivered from the White House, Biden stated, "I stand firmly behind my decision. After 20 years, I have learned the hard way that there will never be a good time to pull American troops out of Afghanistan." He added that the U.S. national interest in Afghanistan has primarily revolved around preventing the country from being used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against the United States, stressing that "the mission in Afghanistan was never about nation-building."
This speech was particularly significant as it marked the first response from the President regarding the historic developments in Afghanistan that occurred over the past weekend, which he had addressed in complete silence until then. The U.S. President posed a question to those who argue that the U.S. should remain in Afghanistan: "How many more generations of America’s daughters and sons do you want me to send to fight the Afghan — the civil war in Afghanistan — at a time when Afghan soldiers won’t fight for themselves?"
In his speech, Biden noted that China and Russia would have liked to see the U.S. bogged down in the Afghan quagmire indefinitely. He stated, "Our true strategic competitors, China and Russia, would like to see the United States continue to commit billions of dollars of resources and attention to stabilize Afghanistan indefinitely." The Democratic president acknowledged that the Afghan government collapsed more quickly than expected, confirming that the U.S. did everything possible to support it. He remarked, "I have always promised the American people that I would be straightforward with them. The truth is that this happened much more quickly than we anticipated," referring to the collapse of the Afghan government. He added, "We gave them every opportunity to determine their future. We cannot give them the will to fight for their future."
Biden also vowed a "devastating response" to the Taliban if they disrupt or threaten the evacuation process at Kabul Airport for thousands of American diplomats and Afghan translators. He asserted that if any attack occurs, the U.S. response would be "swift and powerful," adding, "We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary." Furthermore, he pledged to prioritize the treatment of Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule, stating, "We will continue to raise our voice loudly for the basic rights of the Afghan people, women, and girls."
In an effort to project confidence about the situation in Afghanistan, Biden left the White House immediately after delivering the speech to return to his Camp David presidential retreat near Washington, D.C., to resume his vacation, which he interrupted to give the address.
Conditional Recognition
For its part, the U.S. State Department announced that the United States would not recognize any Taliban-led government in Afghanistan unless the group respects women's rights and refuses to provide refuge for terrorists. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters the day after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban that, "Regarding our position on any future government in Afghanistan, it depends on the behavior of that government. It depends on the Taliban's behavior." He added that the U.S. conditions its engagement with the future Afghan government on the need for it to uphold the basic rights of its people, including the rights of women and girls, and not provide sanctuary to terrorists. Price noted that U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad remains in Qatar where discussions with the Taliban have been ongoing for months, confirming the continuation of talks in the small Gulf state between Taliban officials and American representatives.
Kabul Airport
Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced that flight operations resumed at Kabul Airport early Tuesday local time after U.S. forces were forced to halt flights since Monday afternoon due to chaos caused by thousands of Afghans crowding the runways in an attempt to flee their country after the Taliban takeover. The swift victory of the insurgents, who occupied the presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday evening, caused a state of panic at the capital's airport, the only exit point from the country, as crowds flocked in an effort to escape the new regime that the Islamist group has pledged to establish after a twenty-year war.
Videos shared on social media showed scenes of utter chaos at the airport, with thousands crowding the runway while groups of young people clung to the backs of planes. The Pentagon clarified that the U.S. "is responsible for monitoring air traffic" at Hamid Karzai International Airport, noting that it oversees both military and commercial flight operations. It mentioned that there are currently about 2,500 U.S. troops in Kabul assisting with the evacuation of thousands of Americans and Afghans who worked with them as translators and in other roles, indicating that this number will rise in a matter of hours to between 3,000 and 3,500 soldiers.
