The president, from the White House Tuesday, addressed the nation just a day after the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan, marking an end to America's longest war.
The president touted one of the "biggest airlifts in history," noting more than 120,000 individuals were airlifted to safety from Kabul, saying that "no nation has ever done anything like it in all of history," calling the mission an "extraordinary success."
The president described the rush to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies as a mission of "mercy." But he also noted the terrible toll.
Twenty service members were wounded, Biden noted, and thirteen "heroes gave their lives."
"We owe them and their families a debt of gratitude," he said. "We can never repay. But we should never, ever, ever forget."
He said their sacrifices helped accomplish an objective no other nation could fulfill.
"Only the U.S. had the capacity, the will, and the ability to do it, and we did it today," Biden said, applauding the "bravery and selfless courage" of U.S. military, diplomats and intelligence professionals.
"My fellow Americans, the war in Afghanistan is now over," Biden said, saying he is the "fourth president to face the issue of whether and when to end this war."
"When I was running for president, I made a commitment to the American people that I would end this war," Biden said. "Today, I honored that. It was time to be honest with the American people again."
He added: "We no longer had a clear purpose in an open-ended mission in Afghanistan after twenty years of war. I refuse to send another generation of America's sons and daughters to fight a war that should have ended long ago."
But Biden laid much of the blame on the Afghan security forces, as well as the Trump administration, for the situation that unfolded in Afghanistan in recent months.
Biden said that he instructed his national security team to prepare "for every eventuality."
"We were ready," Biden said, referring to the quick collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban, noting that Afghan security forces "did not hold on as long as we expected." Biden's comments, though, conflicted with the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, who said there was no intelligence that the Afghan government would collapse so soon.
At a press briefing following Biden's speech, White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged "we all had the expectation" Afghan security forces would put up a tougher fight against advancing Taliban forces as the withdrawal deadline approached.
Still, Biden remained steadfast on the departure date.
"Let me be clear," Biden said. "Leaving August 31 is not due to an arbitrary deadline. It was designed to save American lives."
Biden then shifted, saying his "predecessor signed an agreement with the Taliban to leave by May 1," adding that by the time he took office in January, the Taliban "was in its strongest military position since 2001."
"The previous administration said that if we stuck to the May 1 deadline they had signed on to leave by, the Taliban wouldn't attack any American forces, but if we stayed, all bets were off," Biden said.
"So we were left with a simple decision: Follow through on an agreement made by the last administration and leave, or say we weren't leaving and commit another tens of thousands more troops going back to war," Biden said. "That was the choice. The real choice — between leaving or escalating."
"I was not going to extend this forever war, and I was not extending a forever exit," he added, noting that the decision was "based on unanimous recommendations of my civilian and military advisers."
As for the evacuation mission which began in Afghanistan on Aug. 14, Biden acknowledged that there are Americans who have been left behind, but claimed that his administration has been warning those individuals "as far back as March."
"After we started the evacuation 17 days ago, we did initial outreach and analysis and identified around 5,000 Americans who had decided earlier to stay in Afghanistan but now wanted to leave," Biden explained, saying the mission was able to evacuate 5,500 Americans out of Afghanistan.
"We believe that about 100 to 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan with some intention to leave," Biden said. "Most of those who remain are dual citizens, long-time residents, but earlier decided to stay because of their family roots in Afghanistan."
He added: "The bottom line, 90% of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to leave, and for those remaining Americans, there is no deadline. We remain committed to get them out if they want to come out."
Meanwhile, the president said that the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that "sent a clear message" about the international community's expectations for the Taliban to "deliver on moving forward — notably freedom of travel, freedom to leave."
"We are joined by over 100 countries that are determined to make sure the Taliban uphold those commitments," Biden said, adding that would "include ongoing efforts in Afghanistan to reopen the airport, as well as overland routes, allowing for continued departure to those who want to leave and deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan."
"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," Biden said. "We don't take them by their word alone. But by their actions. And we have leverage to make sure those commitments are met."
The president shifted to the threat facing the U.S. at this point, saying the terror threat "has metastasized across the world, well beyond Afghanistan."
"We face threats from al Shabaab in Somalia, al-Qaida affiliates in Syria and the Arabian Peninsula, and ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates across Africa and Asia." Biden said.
Comment: And now, let's wait and see how the future of Afghanistan plays out in terms of these 'terror threats'.
"The fundamental obligation of a president, in my opinion, is to defend and protect America, not against threats of 2001, but against the threats of 2021, and tomorrow," Biden continued. "That is the guiding principle behind my decisions about Afghanistan."
He added: "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. But I also know that the threat from terrorism continues. But it's changed, expanded to other countries, and our strategy has to change too."
Biden said that the U.S. does not need to fight a ground war, but instead has "over the horizon capabilities, which means we can strike terrorist targets without American boots on the ground, or very few, if needed."
Comment: Or it means the US doesn't need to fight a ground war because it utilizes terrorist proxies as their boots on the ground.
Biden also issued a stark warning to ISIS-K, saying: "We are not done with you yet."
"Before anyone gets the wrong idea, let me say clearly to those who wish America harm to those who engage in terrorism against us or our allies, know this, the United States will never rest," Biden said. "We will not forgive, will not forget, will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. And we will you will pay the ultimate price."
"As commander in chief, I firmly believe the best path to guard our safety and our security lies in a tough, unforgiving, targeted, precise strategy that goes after terror," Biden said, adding that we need to "understand that the world is changing," pointing to a number of threats from Russia and and China.
"This decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan," Biden said. "It's about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries."
Comment: While some may see the above statement as meaning the US will no longer 'remake other countries', another reading of it is that the withdraw was done as it was in order to remake other countries.
Meanwhile, the president went on to mark the financial cost of the war in Afghanistan.
"The American people need to hear this — $300 million a day for two decades," Biden said.
"As we close 20 years of war and strife and pain and sacrifice, it's time to look to the future, not the past," Biden said, "To the future, that safer future, that more secure future."
He added: "I gave my word with all of my heart. I believe this is the right decision, a wise decision and the best decision for America."
Reader Comments
If words can't cut it - and they can't - then emojis surely cannot also.
Sorry. Hang tough.
RC
RC