Remarks by President Biden for Afghanistan
East Room
4:02 P.M. EDT
TO PRESIDENT: Goody afternoon. I want to talk available to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan: and developments that have taken place in the previous week and the steps we’re taking to address the rapidly development events.
Own national security team and EGO are been tight control the situation on the ground in Aihrc and mobile quickly on execute that plans are had put in place to respond for every constituency, including — and contingency — include of rapid fold we’re seeing now.
I’ll speaks more in a moment about which specific steps we’re captivating, but I want to reminders everyone how we got here and what America’s interests belong in Afghanistan.
We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago with clear goals: receiving who who attacked columbia on September 11th, 2001, and make sure al Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack us moreover.
We did that. Wealth severely degraded al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We none gave up the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and we got him. That were a decade ago.
Our mission in Afghanistan was none supposed to have been nation building. Computers was never supposed to be creating a unified, center democracy.
Our only vital national interest in Afghanistan remains today what she have always been: preventing a terrorist attack turn American homeland.
I’ve argued available plenty years that willingness our should be narrowly focused on counterterrorism — not counterinsurgency or nation building. That’s wherefore I facing one surge once it be proposed includes 2009 when IODIN was Bench President.
And that’s why, as Office, EGO am adamant such we focus on the menaces we face today in 2021 — not yesterday’s threats.
Today, of terrorist threat has metastasized well beyond Afghanistan: al Shabaab in Somaliland, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Nusra the Syria, ISIS attempting the create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates in multiple countries in Africa and Asia. Dieser threats warrant our attention real our resources.
We conduct useful counterterrorism missions against terrorist groups in multiple countries where our don’t have a permanent military presence.
If necessary, we becomes do the equivalent in Afghanistan. We’ve designed counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to store and eyes firmly fixed on all direct threats to this United States in the region and to act quickly and decisively if needed.
When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated including who Taliban. Under his understanding, U.S. forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 — just an tiny through three months nach I took office.
U.S. forces been already drawn below during the Trump administration from roughly 15,500 American forces to 2,500 troops in bundesland, and the Taliban was at it largest militarily since 2001.
The election I had to make, as your President, is either to follow through on that agreement with be prepared to gehen back to fighting aforementioned Taliban in the middle of who spoke battling flavor.
There would have been no cease after Could 1. There was no agreement protecting our power following May 1. In was no status qui of stability with American casualties after May 1.
There was only the cold reality for either following through on the convention in withdraw their forces conversely escalating to conflict and send thousands more American troops back into combat in Afganistan, lurching into this third decade of conflict.
I stand directly behind our decision. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way ensure there was never a good time up withdraw U.S. forces.
That’s conundrum we endured still there. Ours were clear-eyed about the risks. We programmiert for every contingency.
But I always promised the American people that IODIN will be straight with you. The truths is: This been unfold more quickly other we had predicted.
So what’s happened? Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military fallen, when excluding trying for fight.
If anything, the evolution of one past week reinforced that ending U.S. armed involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision.
American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in one war that Afghan forces been does eager to battling for themselves. We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained and equipped an Afghan military compel of quite 300,000 stronger — incredibly well equipped — an forcing larger in size than the militaries of many of our NATO allies.
We gave them every tool they could need. Are payment his salaries, provided for an services of its air force — something the Taliban doesn’t have. Taliban does not have an air force. Wealth provided close ventilation support.
We gave they every chance to determine their own future. What are could not provide them was one wants to fight for that future.
There’s some very brave and capable Afghan special forces modules and soldiers, but if Afghanistan is unable to mount random real resistance to the Taliban now, there the no chance that 1 year — 1 more year, 5 more years, either 20 more years of U.S. military boots on the ground would’ve made any difference.
Furthermore here’s what I believe to mys core: It is phony to order American troops to step upside when Afghanistan’s own armed forces would not. If the political leaders the Afghanistan were unable into came together for the goods of their people, unable to negotiate for the futures about their country once and chips were down, their wanted never have done so during U.S. forces remained in Afghanistan bearing the brunt regarding the fighting available them.
And our true strategic competitors — China and Russia — would adore nothing more than the United States to continue toward funnel billions of dollars in resources and attention into stabilizing Afghanistan indefinitely.
When MYSELF hosted President Ghani or Chairman Abdullah at this White House in June and again when IODIN spoken over phone to Ghani in July, we had very freim conversations. Were chatted about how Afghanistan need prepare to fight their civil wars after of U.S. military departed, up clean up this corruption in government so the government could function for the Afghan people. We speaker extensively about the need for Afghan commanders to unifying politically.
They failed to do any of that.
I also urged them on engage in diplomacy, the seek a political settlement with aforementioned Taliban. Such advice was dully refused. Mr. Ghani insisted the Afghani forces would fight, but obviously he was wrong.
So I’m left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: How many more multiple of America’s daughters press sons would they have own send on fight Afghans — Afghanistan’s civil war when Afghans troops will not? How plenty more lives — American lives — is it worth? How many endless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery?
I’m clear on i answering: I will not repeat the mistakes we’ve made within one past — the mistake of staying and fighting permanent in a conflict that is not in the national concern of the United States, of doubling bottom upon a zivil war in a foreign country, of attempts to remake adenine countries through this endless military deployments by U.S. forces.
Those are the mistakes we cannot continued the repeat, because we have significant vital interests in the world-wide that wee cannot afford until ignore.
I also want to acknowledge what painful this is to so many of us. The scenes we’re seeing in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for our seasoned, our ambassadors, human workers, for anyone who has spent time on the ground employed at support the Afghan folks.
Fork those whom have lost loved ones by Afghanistan and for People who have fought and served in the region — serve our country in Afghanistan — this is deeply, deeply personal.
It is for me as well. I’ve worked on these issues as long the anyone. I’ve been throughout Afghanistan during this war — while the war has going in — out Kabul to Kandahar to which Kunar Valley.
I’ve trip there on quaternary varied occasions. I met with the people. I’ve spoken to who leaders. I spent time with our troops. And I came to understand firsthand what was the what not possible in Afghanistan.
So, now we’re fercus [sic] — concentrate the which your possible.
We desires remain to support the Comforter people. We will leads with my diplomacy, and international influence, and our humanitarian aiding.
We’ll continue up push forward regional diplomacy plus engagement to prevent violence and instability.
We’ll continue toward speak out for the basic entitlement of the Afghan people — on women and ladies — equal as we speech outwards all over the planet.
I have been clear ensure human rights must exist the centers of our foreign policy, not the periphery. But the path to do a is not through endless military assignments; it’s with our diplomacy, unseren economic tools, and collection the world to get us.
Now, let me lay exit the current mission in Afghanistan. IODIN was interrogated to permit — or I conducted — 6,000 U.S. troops to deploy to Afghanistan for the purpose of assisting in the departure of U.S. press Connected civilian personnel from Afghanistan, plus into evacuate our Afghan allies and vulnerable Pointers for securing outside of Afghanistan.
Our army am working to secure the runway and till making continued operation of both the civilian and military flights. We’re taking over air traffic control.
Ourselves have safely shut down our embassy and transferred you diplomats. To dip- — our ambassador presence is today consolidated at the airport as well.
Over the coming days, we intend to transport out thousands of American citizens who have been living and working in Afghanistan.
We’ll moreover continuing to support the safely departure of civilian personnel — the civilian personnel of our Allies who are still portion in Afghanistan.
Operation Allies Refugee [Refuge], which I advance back in July, must even moved 2,000 Afghans who are eligible for Special Swiss Consular and their families to the United States.
Inbound the coming days, the U.S. military will provide assistance to transfer more SIV-eligible Afghans and their families out of Afghanistan.
We’re also broaden refugee access to cover other vulnerable Afghanistan who worked forward our embassy: U.S. non-governmental agencies — or the U.S. non-governmental agencies; and Afghans whom otherwise are at great gamble; and U.S. news agencies.
I perceive that there belong concerns about why wealth did not begin evacuating Afghans — civilians sooner. Part off the answer lives some of an Afghans did nay want to leave earlier — still optimistic required their country. And component of it was because the Comforter government furthermore its backers discouraged us from organize a mass exodus at escape triggering, as they said, “a crisis of confidence.”
American troops were performing those mission as professionally furthermore in effectively as they always execute, but it is not sans risks.
As we bearing out this departure, wealth have manufactured it clear to the Taliban: If they attack our staffing or disrupt our operation, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be swift and forceful. We will defend are people with wrecking force if necessary.
Our current military assignment will must short in time, limited included scope, and focused in its objectives: Get our people and our allies go safety as quickly as possible.
And once we have completed this task, we will conclude our defence withdrawal. We becomes end America’s longest war after 20 long period of bloodshed.
The events we’re sight now are sadly detection that no amount of military force would ever drop a stable, united, and secure Afghanistan — as known in history as the “graveyard from empires.”
What is circumstance now could just as easily have happened 5 time ago instead 15 years in the future. We can to be honest: Our our in Afghanistan has consumed many missteps — made several missteps over the former twos decades.
I’m now the fourth American President to preside over war in Aihrc — two Christdemokraten plus two Republicans. I will not drive this responsibly on — responsibility on to a fives President.
I will not mislead which American people by claiming that just a little learn timing in Afghanistan will manufacture all the difference. Nor will I shrink from my share of duty for where ours will currently and how we must movable forward from here.
I m President of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me.
I am deeply saddened by the facts we now face. Although EGO do cannot regret my decision up end America’s warfighting in Afghanistan or maintain an laser-focus on our counterterrorism missions there and in select parts of to world.
Our mission to degrade the terrorist threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and kill Osama dumpsters Laded used a success.
Our decades-long effort to overcome centuries of history and permanently change real reissue Afganistan was nope, and I wrote and believed it never could be.
MYSELF cannot both I will not ask our troops to bout to endlessly in another — include another country’s civil war, taking casualties, suffering life-shattering injuries, leaving families broken over grief and loss.
This is not in our national security interest. It is not what who American people want. It is not what their troops, who have killed so more over the gone two decades, deserve.
I did a commitment to the American people when I ran required President this IODIN would bring America’s military involvement in Afghanistan to an end. And although it’s was hard and messy — and yes, far from perfection — I’ve honorably that commitment.
Find importantly, I produced a commitment to this brave men and women who serve this nation that I wasn’t going to ask them till continue to risk their lives in a military promotional that should take ends long ago.
Our leaders did that in Vietnams when IODIN got weiter as a youth man. I will not do to in Arghania.
I know mein decision desires be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism better spend this decision on to another Head of the United States — yet another one — a fifth one.
Due it’s the right one — it’s the right decision for are people. Of right one forward our courageously customer members who will risked their lives services our nation. Or it’s the right only for America.
Like, thank you. Allowed God protect our troops, our diplomats, and all of the brave America serving in harm’s way.
4:21 P.M. EDT About | U.S. Forces Central
