August 31 Afghanistan-Taliban news

President Biden, in his first address since the end of the Afghanistan war, praised the “extraordinary success” of the military evacuation, calling it “not a mission of war, but in a mission of mercy.”

"The extraordinary success of this mission was due to the incredible skill, bravery and selfless courage of the United States military and our diplomats and intelligence professionals,” Biden said.

Biden also spoke at length about the evacuation efforts, saying 90% of Americans who wanted to leave were able to evacuate Afghanistan, adding that about 5,500 American citizens were evacuated.

“For those remaining Americans, there is no deadline,” Biden said, adding that the United States is “committed to get them out if they want to come out.”

Biden said the administration reached out to Americans to evacuate “19 times” over the last several weeks.

Biden touted the evacuation effort, pointing to the 120,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan saying, “no nation has ever done anything like it in all of history.”

President Biden offered no misgivings over his decision to end America’s longest war in forceful remarks from the White House.

Biden said the real decision in Afghanistan was "between leaving and escalating,” framing his choice to withdraw troops as the only option aside from surging more forces to the country.

“The fact is, everything has changed,” Biden said, citing the deal with the Taliban signed by his predecessor.

Biden said he takes “responsibility” for his decision to withdraw, but said he “respectfully disagrees” with those who say he should have begun mass evacuations earlier, claiming there would have been a “rush to the airport.”

"For those asking for a third decade of war, I ask, what is the vital national interest? In my view we only have one: to make sure Afghanistan can never again be used to launch an attack on our homeland," Biden said.

President Biden told the American public that he no longer believed "the safety and security of America" was enhanced by having troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

"I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars a year in Afghanistan," Biden continued.

"When I was running for president, I made a commitment to the American people that I would end this war. Today I've honored that commitment," the President said.

President Biden told the American public that although the US has withdrawn its troops from Afghanistan, it will work to ensure the Taliban meet their commitments, including providing safe passage for those who want to leave the country.

Biden referenced a resolution passed by the UN Security Council yesterday for creating a "safe passage" zone for people seeking to leave from Kabul's airport.

"Together, we're joined by over 100 countries that are determined to make sure the Taliban upholds those commitments. It will include ongoing efforts in Afghanistan to reopen the airport as well as overland routes, allowing for continued departure for those that want to leave, and deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan," he said.

Biden said the Taliban has made public commitments "broadcast on television and radio across Afghanistan" on safe passage for anyone wanting to leave including those who worked alongside Americans. 

"We don't take them by their word alone, but by their actions. And we have leverage to make sure those commitments are met," Biden said.

President Biden said the US will continue diplomatic efforts to evacuate the remaining Americans still in Afghanistan.

The President said the US government believes there are about 100 to 200 Americans remaining in Afghanistan, "with some intention to leave." Most of those that remained are dual citizens and longtime residents that had decided to remain in Afghanistan because of "family roots," Biden said.

Biden said that the US is committed to getting those Americans who want to leave out and that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is leading the diplomatic efforts to do so.

"Secretary of State Blinken, is leading the continued diplomatic efforts to ensure safe passage for any American, Afghan partner or foreign national, who wants to leave Afghanistan," Biden said.

"In fact, just yesterday, the United Nation security Council passed a resolution that sent a clear message about what the international community expects the Taliban to deliver on moving forward. Notably, freedom of travel, freedom to leave," the President continued.

Biden said that the remaining Americans mostly consist of dual citizens and long-time residents who have their "family roots in Afghanistan." The President also praised efforts by US military for getting "90% of Americans who wanted to leave" Afghanistan out.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misquoted President Biden. He said the US government believes there are about 100 to 200 Americans remaining in Afghanistan, "with some intention to leave."

President Biden says he disagrees with those who criticize the US' withdrawal from Afghanistan as disorderly and who say evacuations should have started earlier.

"I take responsibility for the decision," Biden said of the plan to end the mission. "Now some say, 'We should have started mass evacuations sooner,' and 'Couldn't this have, have been done in a more orderly manner?' I respectfully disagree," he said.

Biden said that there "still would have been a rush to the airport" no matter when the US began withdrawals.

"Imagine if we begun evacuations in June or July, bringing in thousands of American troops and evacuating more than 120,000 people in the middle of a civil war. There still would have been a rush to the airport, a break down in confidence and control of the government and still would have been very difficult and dangerous mission," Biden said.

In an address to the nation marking the end of 20 years of war in Afghanistan, President Biden defended his administration's withdrawal and praised the country's evacuation effort.

"After we started the evacuation 17 days ago, we did initial outreach and analysis and identified around 5,000 Americans who decided earlier to stay in Afghanistan but now wanted to leave," he continued.

Biden said the operation ended up getting more than 5,500 Americans out of Afghanistan as well as "thousands of Afghan translators and interpreters." However, he acknowledged that some 100 to 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan but said many of them are dual residents who decided to stay.

"The bottom line, 90% of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to leave. For those remaining Americans, there is no deadline. We remain committed to get them out if they want to come out," the President said.

President Biden addressed the nation on the US ending 20 years of war in Afghanistan from the White House.

President Biden is delivering remarks from the White House on the end of the war in Afghanistan, a day after the last American military planes left the country, concluding the nation's longest war nearly 20 years after it began.

The President, who faces a political reckoning for the US's handling of the withdrawal, said in a Monday statement that "it was the unanimous recommendation of the Joint Chiefs and of all of our commanders on the ground to end our airlift mission as planned." 

He's also argued that he thought chaos in the country was inevitable when US troops departed.

Read more about Biden's remarks here.