US President Joe Biden has said the mission of the United States in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation building as he defended his decision to pull out US troops from the country.
Thousands of civilians desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul airport's single runway today after the Taliban seized the capital, prompting the United States to suspend evacuations as it came under mounting criticism at home.
Mr Biden said that the US national interest in Afghanistan was always principally about preventing terrorist attacks from the war-torn nation on the US homeland.
"The mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation-building," he said.
US President Joe Biden says 'our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation-building', and its purpose was counter-terrorism. | Follow live updates: https://t.co/MsCesNr9Do pic.twitter.com/0AfYWoeAKV
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 16, 2021
Mr Biden acknowledged that the Afghan government collapsed more quickly than he expected.
"I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you. The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated," Mr Biden said in a national address.
"We gave them every chance to determine their own future. We could not provide them with the will to fight for that future."
Mr Biden defended the US pullout, saying he stood by the policy and that it was time to leave after 20 years of conflict.
"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," he said in the televised address from the White House.
Joe Biden says he is the fourth US President to preside over war in Afghanistan. 'I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth president.' | Follow live updates: https://t.co/MsCesNr9Do pic.twitter.com/5LjUvM9kJm
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 16, 2021
Mr Biden promised to prioritise the treatment of women and girls under the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"We'll continue to speak out on the basic rights of the Afghan people, of women and girls," Mr Biden said.
He also warned the Taliban not to disrupt or threaten the evacuation of thousands of American diplomats and Afghan translators at the Kabul airport.
The response to any attack would be "swift and forceful," Mr Biden said.
"We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary," he added.
US President Joe Biden says he will not repeat mistakes of the past. 'How many more generations of America's daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistan’s civil war, when Afghan troops will not?’ | Follow live updates: https://t.co/MsCesNr9Do pic.twitter.com/r9x4OSWgBf
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 16, 2021
