Biden defends US pullout from Afghanistan as Taliban celebrate

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Tuesday mounted a fierce defence of his exit from Afghanistan as the “best decision for America,” the day after the US military withdrawal celebrated by the Taliban as a major victory, saying it was in the US national interest.

“We no longer had a clear purpose in an open-ended mission in Afghanistan,” he said a day after the final withdrawal. “This is the right decision. A wise decision. And the best decision for America,” Biden said in an address to the nation in Washington, after he stuck to an August 31 deadline to end two decades of bloodshed that began and ended with the hardline Islamists in power. He spoke after the United Nations warned of a looming “humanitarian catastrophe” in Afghanistan, underscoring the daunting challenges that the victorious Taliban face as they transform from insurgent group to governing power. The choice for the United States in Afghanistan was either to withdraw from the country or escalate the conflict, the president said. “That was the choice: between leaving or escalating. I was not going to extend this forever war, and I was not extending a forever exit,” he said. Biden said he accepts responsibility for the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, adding that he believes that staying longer wasn’t an option.

Seeking to answer those who questioned why things had to change. He said “everything had changed” after “my predecessor made a deal with a Taliban”. For those wanting a “third decade of war”, he said it was key to look at what the “vital national interest” was. And, what is in the national interest is to make sure Afghanistan can never be used again to launch an attack on the US, he said. The US succeeded in what it set out to do over a decade ago, following the September 11 attacks, he said.

He said that “this is a new world” and there are threats from al-Shabab, al-Qaeda affiliates and the Islamic State group. “I do not believe the safety and security of America is enhanced by deploying thousands of troops and spending billions in Afghanistan,” he said. President said the US strategy has to change and doesn’t need to have troops on the ground to fight terror.

His priority is to defend and protect America - from the threats not of 2001 but of 2021, he said.“ The war in Afghanistan is now over. “We delivered justice to Bin Laden over a decade ago. Al-Qaeda was decimated,” he said.

“Congratulations to Afghanistan... this victory belongs to us all,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters hours later on the airport runway.Mujahid said the Taliban´s victory was a “lesson for other invaders”.In Kandahar, the spiritual birthplace of the movement and the country´s second-largest city, thousands of celebrating supporters swept onto the streets.

Biden also warned the Islamic State-Khorasan, the group which killed 13 US troops in a suicide bombing at Kabul airport, that they face more retribution from Washington. “We are not done with you yet,” he said.

He said the US will continue to support Afghans through diplomacy and aid. He adds that America will speak out for the rights of Afghan people including women and girls. And the president, whose critics have savaged him for his handling of the withdrawal, said the frenzied airlift was an “extraordinary success.” “We completed one of the biggest airlifts in history,” Biden said.

He acknowledged that the Afghan military collapsed faster than expected ahead of the 31 August deadline. “I still instructed our national security team to prepare for every eventuality, even that one,” he said. “We were ready when the Afghan security forces…did not hold on as long as anyone expected.” He also said the US has “leverage” to make sure commitments made by the Taliban are met.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tried to explain to reporters what Biden meant when he said the US had leverage over the Taliban.“We have enormous leverage over the Taliban, including access to the global marketplace. That is not a small piece of leverage,” she said.