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| Biden defends US withdrawal from Afghanistan | Biden defends US withdrawal from Afghanistan |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Joe Biden: 'I stand squarely behind my decision' | Joe Biden: 'I stand squarely behind my decision' |
| President Joe Biden has said he stands "squarely" behind the US exit from Afghanistan as he faces withering criticism over the Taliban's lightning conquest of the war-torn country. | President Joe Biden has said he stands "squarely" behind the US exit from Afghanistan as he faces withering criticism over the Taliban's lightning conquest of the war-torn country. |
| "How many more American lives is it worth?" said the president. | "How many more American lives is it worth?" said the president. |
| He said despite the "gut-wrenching" scenes in Kabul "there is never a good time to withdraw US forces". | He said despite the "gut-wrenching" scenes in Kabul "there is never a good time to withdraw US forces". |
| On Sunday the Taliban declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled and his government collapsed. | On Sunday the Taliban declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled and his government collapsed. |
| The militants' return to rule brings an end to almost 20 years of a US-led coalition's presence in the country. | The militants' return to rule brings an end to almost 20 years of a US-led coalition's presence in the country. |
| Kabul was the last major city in Afghanistan to fall to a Taliban offensive that began months ago but accelerated in recent days as they gained control of territories, shocking many observers. | Kabul was the last major city in Afghanistan to fall to a Taliban offensive that began months ago but accelerated in recent days as they gained control of territories, shocking many observers. |
| Latest updates from Afghanistan | Latest updates from Afghanistan |
| Mr Biden returned on Monday to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat to make his first public remarks on Afghanistan in nearly a week. | Mr Biden returned on Monday to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat to make his first public remarks on Afghanistan in nearly a week. |
| "If anything, the developments of the past week reinforce that ending US military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision," said Mr Biden. | "If anything, the developments of the past week reinforce that ending US military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision," said Mr Biden. |
| "American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves." | "American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves." |
| Mr Biden is facing intense political backlash over the turmoil in Kabul following his April decision to order all American troops out of Afghanistan by 11 September - the 20 year anniversary of the terror attacks that triggered the US invasion. | |
| On Monday he said the US mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been about nation-building. | On Monday he said the US mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been about nation-building. |
| People tried to cling on to the wheels of a departing US military plane | People tried to cling on to the wheels of a departing US military plane |
| He said that when he was vice-president he had opposed the 2009 deployment of thousands more troops into the country by former President Barack Obama. | |
| Mr Biden also noted he had inherited a deal negotiated with the Taliban under former President Donald Trump for the US to withdraw from Afghanistan by May of this year. | Mr Biden also noted he had inherited a deal negotiated with the Taliban under former President Donald Trump for the US to withdraw from Afghanistan by May of this year. |
| Ten days that shook Afghanistan | Ten days that shook Afghanistan |
| Will Biden's biggest call yet also be his most calamitous? | Will Biden's biggest call yet also be his most calamitous? |
| He said he was now the fourth US president to preside over America's longest war. | He said he was now the fourth US president to preside over America's longest war. |
| "I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth president," said Mr Biden, a Democrat. | "I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth president," said Mr Biden, a Democrat. |
| "I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference." | "I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference." |
| Mr Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in foreign policy and declared after assuming office this year that "America is back". | Mr Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in foreign policy and declared after assuming office this year that "America is back". |
| Last month he assured reporters it was "highly unlikely" the Taliban would overrun the entire country. | Last month he assured reporters it was "highly unlikely" the Taliban would overrun the entire country. |
| But he conceded on Monday that "this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated". | But he conceded on Monday that "this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated". |
| Opinion polls show most Americans support the US exiting Afghanistan. | Opinion polls show most Americans support the US exiting Afghanistan. |
| But Mr Biden is facing a barrage of criticism over the manner of the departure, after he withdrew US troops then sent thousands back in to help the evacuation. | But Mr Biden is facing a barrage of criticism over the manner of the departure, after he withdrew US troops then sent thousands back in to help the evacuation. |
| Images circulated on Sunday showing US helicopters circling the US embassy in Kabul. | |
| For many, the pictures evoked America's humiliating departure from Saigon, Vietnam, in 1975 when Mr Biden was a junior senator. | For many, the pictures evoked America's humiliating departure from Saigon, Vietnam, in 1975 when Mr Biden was a junior senator. |
| Earlier on Monday, the US suspended its evacuation from Kabul after scenes of panic at the capital's airport turned deadly. | Earlier on Monday, the US suspended its evacuation from Kabul after scenes of panic at the capital's airport turned deadly. |
| Thousands of civilians desperate to flee the country had thronged the tarmac. | Thousands of civilians desperate to flee the country had thronged the tarmac. |
| People tried to cling on to the wheels of a departing US military plane | People tried to cling on to the wheels of a departing US military plane |
| A US military official told the BBC's US partner CBS News that American troops had killed two armed Afghans who were part of a huge crowd that breached the airport perimeter. | A US military official told the BBC's US partner CBS News that American troops had killed two armed Afghans who were part of a huge crowd that breached the airport perimeter. |
| Seven people reportedly died in total. | Seven people reportedly died in total. |
| Some of those who reportedly died fell from an American military transport jet as it taxied for departure from the single runway. | Some of those who reportedly died fell from an American military transport jet as it taxied for departure from the single runway. |
| Earlier on Monday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC that Afghanistan fell because the people lacked the "will" to defend themselves from the Taliban. | Earlier on Monday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC that Afghanistan fell because the people lacked the "will" to defend themselves from the Taliban. |