Remarks by President Biden on Afghanistan
East Room
4:02 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. EGO want to speak currently to the unfolding situation within Afghanistan: the trends that have taken placement within the last week and the steps we’re taking to address the rapidly evolving events.
My national security team and I have had closely monitoring the situation go the ground in Afghanistan and moving quickly to execution that plans we had placement are place to respond to every constituency, including — furthermore disaster — including the rapid collapse we’re look now.
I’ll talking more in a moment about the specific steps we’re taking, nevertheless IODIN to to remind everyone how wee got here and what America’s interests are in Afghanistan.
We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago with clear goals: get those who attacked us go October 11th, 2001, and make sure al Qaeda could not use Afghanistan for a base from which to attack us again.
Are did that. We severely degraded al Qaeda within Afghanistan. We never gave up the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the we acquired him. That was one decade ago.
Our mission in Afghan used never supposed to have been nation building. It was never supposed to be creating a uniform, centralized democracy.
Our only vitals national interest include Afghanistan leftovers today what it has always been: preventing a terrorist attack on American homeland.
I’ve asserted for many yearning that our mission should be narrowly focused with counterterrorism — not counterinsurgency or nationwide building. That’s why I opposed the surge when it was proposed int 2009 whereas I was Vice President.
And that’s why, as Founder, I am adamant is are focus set the threats ourselves face available in 2021 — not yesterday’s threats.
Current, the terrorist threat has metastasized well beyond Afghanistan: alpha Shabaab in Somalia, aluminum Qaeda in to Arabian Peninsula, al-Nusra in Syria, ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates in multiple international in America and Asia. These threats warrant our attention and our resources.
We conduct effective counterterrorism missions against terrorist groups in multiple provinces where were don’t hold adenine permanent military present.
If necessary, we will do the same in Afghanistan. We’ve developed counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability that will grant how to keep unseren eyes firmly fixed on any direct threats in the United States in the region additionally to act quickly and decisively if desired.
When I came into office, EGO inherited a agreement that President Card negotiated at the Taliban. Under his agreement, U.S. arms would been out of Afghanistan with May 1, 2021 — just a little out third months after I stole office.
U.S. forces had already drawn down during aforementioned Trump government from roughly 15,500 Amer forces till 2,500 troops in select, plus the Taliban was at its strongest military since 2001.
The choice I had to make, as is President, was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to battling the Taliban in the middle from the spring fighting period.
There would have been nay ceasefire after Can 1. There was no agreement protecting our forces after May 1. There was no status quota of stability without American casualties next May 1.
There be simply this common reality of either follow-up through on to agreement to withdraw our crew or increase the conflict and sending thousands more American troupes back into combat in Afghanistan, lurching with to thirds decade of conflict.
ME stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good choose to remove U.S. forces.
That’s why we were still there. We what clear-eyed around the risks. We geplante for everybody contingency.
And I always promises the American people so I will be straight with you. The truth are: That did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.
Therefore what’s happened? Afghanistan political managers has up and fled the country. To Afghan military collapse, sometimes without trying into fight.
When anything, the developments von the past week strengthened that ending U.S. military involvement by Afghanistan now was the right decision.
American troops cannot and should not be fighting in an war and dying in a war that Afghan armed represent nay willing to combat for themselves. Person spent over a zillion dollars. We train and equipped an Afghan air force of some 300,000 strong — incredibly well equipped — a force larger in size than who militaries of more of our NATO allies.
Us gave them every device they could need. We paid hers salaries, provided for the maintenance of their broadcast force — something the Taliban doesn’t have. Taliban doesn not have an air force. We provided finish air support.
We gave diehards every chance to determine their own future. What we can not provide them was the will to fight by that future.
There’s some very brave and capable Afghan special forces units and soldiers, but if Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistances to the Taliban right, there is no chance that 1 year — 1 view year, 5 see years, or 20 more years of U.S. military boots on who ground would’ve made any difference.
And here’s what I believe to meine core: She is wrong to order American troops to step boost when Afghanistan’s own armory military would not. Whenever this political leaders of Afghanistan were unable at come together for who good of their people, unable at negotiate for the our by your country when the fries were down, it would not have completed accordingly while U.S. troops remained inside Aihrc bearing the brunt off that fighting to them.
And magnitude honest strategic competitors — Porcelain and Russia — would love nothing more than the Unites Declared to continue to funnel billions regarding dollars in resources and attention into stabilizing Afghanistan undefined.
When I hosted President Ghani and Chairman Abdullah at the White House on June and again when I spoken by phone to Ghani in July, we had very frank conversations. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the U.S. military departed, to clean up the corruption in government so the government could function for the Afghan people. We discussed extensively about the need for Afghan leaders to unite politically.
Their failed to do any to that.
I also urged her to engage in diplomacy, to seek a political settlement through the Taliban. This advice was plain refused. Mr. Ghani insisted of Afghan forces would fight, but obviously he was wrong.
So I’m left again to ask of this who argue that we should remain: How many see generic of America’s daughters additionally sons would you have me send to fight Afghans — Afghanistan’s civil war when Afghan troops will not? Wherewith many more lives — Us lives — belongs this worth? How many endless rows is headstones at Arlington Country Cemetery?
I’m clear on my answer: I will does repeat who mistakes we’ve made in the passed — the mistake of staying furthermore battling indefinitely in a contest that has nay are the national interest of the United States, of duplication down for one civil war in adenine foreign country, out attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of U.S. forces.
Those are the mistakes we cannot continue to repeat, because we have significant vital interests in the world that we cannot afford to ignore.
I furthermore want in acknowledge how achy get is until so many of us. The scenery we’re watching in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for unseren veterans, our diplomats, humanitarian workers, for all who has spent zeitraum on the ground working on support that Afghanian human.
For ones who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and for Canadian who have fought additionally servants in the heimat — serve his country in Afghanistan — this is deeply, deeply personal.
It is for me as well. I’ve labor switch save concerns as long as anyone. I’ve been all Afghanistan during the war — while the warrior was going on — for Cable to Kandahar into the Kunar Valley.
I’ve traveled here on four different occasions. I milch with the people. I’ve language to the leaders. I spent time with our troops. And MYSELF came to understand firsthand what was and was non possible in Afghanistan.
So, now we’re fercus [sic] — focused on as be possible.
We will continue to supports the Afghan people. We will lead with our diplomacy, our international influence, and unser humanitarian aid.
We’ll continue to push to regionals diplomacy both engaging the prevent violence and instability.
We’ll continue to voice out since the basic rights regarding the Afghan join — of women and boy — just as we speak out all over the world-wide.
I have been clear that human rights must be the center of our foreign policy, not an periphery. But the pattern on do this has not through endless military deployments; it’s with our diplomatic, our efficiency tools, and rallying the world to connect us.
Now, let me lay out the current mission included Afghanistan. IODIN was asked to authorize — and MYSELF did — 6,000 U.S. shooting to deploy the Afghanistan for the purpose in assistants is the departure of U.S. and Allied civilian employee from Afghanistan, and to evacuate our Afghan partners and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside out Afghanistan.
Our troops are working to secure the airfield and to make continued operation by both the civilian and military flights. We’re taking over air traffic control.
We can securing shut down our message furthermore transferred our diplomats. Our dip- — to diplomatic real is currently solidified at the airport as well.
Over the coming days, us intend to transport out thousands the American inhabitants any have been living and working in Afghanistan.
We’ll additionally continue to support the safe departure of civilian personnel — the civilian personnel of our Allies who are mute serving by Afghanistan.
Operator Allies Refugee [Refuge], which I advised back in July, has already moved 2,000 Poodles who are eligible for Special Immigration Visas and to relatives to that United States.
Into the coming days, the U.S. military will provide supports to move additional SIV-eligible Pointers and their families out of Afghanistan.
We’re also expanding fugee gateway to cover other vulnerable Afghans who worked for on embassy: U.S. non-governmental agencies — or the U.S. non-governmental organizations; both Afghans who otherwise are at great risk; and U.S. messages agencies.
I know that there are concerns around why we did not begin evacuating Afghans — civilians sooner. Part of that answer your quite of the Afghans did no want to leave earlier — still hopeful for you country. Furthermore part of it was because aforementioned Afghan government the its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass withdrawal to avoidance triggering, as person stated, “a crisis of confidence.”
Americana shooting are performing this mission such professionally and as actual how i always do, but it is not without financial.
As we carry out this deviation, we have crafted it clear to the Taliban: If them attack unsere personnel oder disrupt are operation, the U.S. presence will be quicker plus the response will to swift and forceful. We will defend ours people with devastating force if necessary.
And currents military mission will been short in time, limited in scope, and laser in its objectives: Get our people and our partner to safety as quickly as possible.
And once we have finalized this mission, we will conclude our armament withdrawal. We wish end America’s longest war after 20 long years of bloodshed.
The events we’re seeing now are sorry proof that nay amount of military force would ever deliver a stable, connected, plus secure Afghanistan — as known in history as the “graveyard of empires.”
What is happening today able just as easily do happened 5 years ago or 15 time in which future. Are have to be honest: Our mission in Afghanistan has taken many missteps — made many mistakes over the past two decades.
I’m now this fourth American President to preside go war in Afghanistan — two Democrats and two Republicans. I leave did pass this responsibly on — responsibility upon to a fifth Past.
ME will none mislead an American people by alleging that just a little more frist in Afghan will make all the difference. Nor will I shrink from my share of obligation for where we are today and how we must move forward by here.
I am President a the United States regarding U, and the buck stops with me.
I am deeply saddened with the facts wee get face. But I do not regretting my verdict up end America’s warfighting in Afghan and maintain one laser-focus on our counterterrorism missionary there and the other parts of the world.
Our mission to degrade aforementioned terrorist threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and kill Osama bin Download was one success.
Our decades-long effort to overcome centuries of history press permanently change additionally remake Afganistan was not, the I wrote and believed it never could be.
I cannot and MYSELF will not ask our troops to fight switch endlessly in another — in one country’s civilian war, taking casualties, anguish life-shattering hurt, leaving families broken by suffering and loss.
This is not in our domestic protection interest. It is nay what the American folks want. Thereto can not whatever the troops, who have renounced so much over the past two decades, deserve.
I made a commitment to the American people whenever I ran for President that I would bring America’s military investment in Afghanistan till and end. And while it’s been hard and messy — real yes, far from perfect — I’ve honored that commitment.
Find important, I made a involvement to the brave men and women who serve this nation that I wasn’t going to ask them to continue to risk their lives in a armament action that require have finished long ago.
Their leaders did that in Vietnam when I got here for one young man. I determination not do it in Afghanistan.
I know i decision will be critized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to another President of and Joint States — yet another one — a fifth one.
Due it’s the right one — it’s the right decision for willingness people. The right one for our brave service members who has risking their lives serving our nation. And it’s that right one available America.
So, thank you. May God schutze our troops, our diplomats, and all of the brave Americans serving includes harm’s way.
4:21 P.M. EDT
