Breaking News

[LIVE UPDATES] Biden Addresses Nation After Taliban Takeover Of Afghanistan

Published

3 years ago

Aug 16, 2021.

President Biden admits Afghanistan’s collapse happened more quickly than anticipated but stands “squarely behind my decision” to withdraw.

Biden on Monday squarely stands by decision to withdraw.
Credit: CNN

The US has sent an additional 6,000 troops to the country to secure the airport, a sign of the complicated process of winding down America’s longest war.

Biden remained at the Camp David presidential retreat with members of his family over the weekend as chaotic images from Kabul emerged. He returned to Washington today ahead of his address.

It will be his first time in six days speaking in public on the matter, which has become the most serious test of Biden’s foreign policy since he took office.

Even as chaos descended on Kabul’s international airport, where desperate Afghans rushed the tarmac seeking a way out of their country, the President has remained resolute in his decision to withdraw American troops from the country.

At the same time, he has sent an additional 6,000 troops to the country to secure the airport, a sign of the complicated and contradictory process of winding down America’s longest war.

In a written statement over the weekend, Biden staunchly defended his decision to leave Afghanistan, saying he would not pass the 20-year conflict on to another president. He also lay part of the blame for the current situation on his predecessor, Donald Trump, who brokered a deal with the Taliban to withdraw American troops by May 1, 2021.

Speaking Monday on morning television programs, senior members of Biden’s national security team also sought to shift blame for the collapse of the Afghan government on the country’s defense forces, which they said lacked the will to defend their country against the Taliban.

WHAT HAS BIDEN SAID?

“The scenes that we’re seeing in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for our veterans, our diplomats, humanitarian workers, for anyone who has spent time on the ground working to support the Afghan people. For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan, and for Americans who have fought and served in the country, serve our country in Afghanistan. This is deeply, deeply personal. It is for me as well.”

Biden : “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.

“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,” Biden said. “The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.”

Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611