Biden stated that “we should be focusing upon where the threat is greatest,” in an interview that aired Thursday on ABC’s Good Morning America.
“And the idea that we can continue spending a trillion dollars and have tens or thousands of American troops in Afghanistan, while we have North Africa, Western Africa — the idea that we can do this and ignore those growing problems, looming problems is not rational.
Biden repeatedly stated that America would not send more troops to Afghanistan. Biden was able to deploy 2,500-3,000 troops in Afghanistan when he took office, but not tens of thousand.
Biden identified Syria and East Africa, as places where Islamic State groups pose a “significantly more threat” than Afghanistan. He also stated that ISIS has “metastasized” to other parts of the world.
These comments are coming as the Biden administration is facing sharp criticism over the timing and direction for the Afghanistan withdrawal. The Taliban took power quicker than officials expected. Scenes of violence and chaos ensued as thousands of Afghans fled the country after the Taliban quickly seized power.
Biden also addressed concerns about the treatment women and girls in the United States, saying that it is “not rational” for the US to attempt to defend women’s rights across the globe using military force. It should instead be done by “diplomatic pressure” on human rights violators to change their behavior.
After the Taliban took complete control of Afghanistan last weekend, up to 15,000 Americans are still in Afghanistan. Biden stated in the same interview that he is committed to keeping U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan until all Americans are evacuated. This could even mean that there will be a military presence after his deadline of Aug. 31 for withdrawal.
Biden repeatedly answered questions about how the administration would assist Americans who fled the country after August 31st.
Lloyd Austin, Defense Secretary, stated Wednesday that the U.S. military is unable to expand its current mission in Afghanistan from the security of Kabul Airport to the collection and transporting at-risk Afghans and Americans elsewhere in the capital to assist with evacuation.
Reports that some evacuees were stopped at Taliban checkpoints has raised the question of whether they should be saved and taken to the airport.
Austin stated, “I don’t have the ability to go out and expand operations currently into Kabul.” And where would you go to do that? What distance can you go into Kabul and how long is it to get those forces there?
Austin, a former four-star Army General who commanded forces for Afghanistan, spoke at his first Pentagon News Conference since Sunday’s victory of the Taliban in Kabul.
He stated that the State Department had sent more consular affairs officers in order to expedite the processing of evacuees.
Austin stated that “We are not near where we want” when it comes to the speed of airlift.
He stated that he was focused on the airport and its “number of threats”.
He said that “we cannot afford to either not protect that airfield or have an airfield secure, where hundreds or thousands can access the field,” and that talks were ongoing with the Taliban to ensure safe passage for those who are evacuating.
Austin stated that approximately 4,500 U.S. troops were present at the airport to maintain security for the State Department-run evacuation effort, which has been marred by chaos and confusion.
Biden stated, however, that there was nothing his administration could do to prevent such chaos.
He said, “The idea that somehow there’s a way out of chaos, I don’t understand how that happens.”
High ranking U.S. military officials were speaking to Taliban commanders in Kabul to discuss the curfews and checkpoints that have restricted the access of Americans and Afghans to the airport.
John Kirby, chief Pentagon spokesperson, stated that approximately 2,000 people had left on 18 U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircrafts in the past 24 hours. This included 325 Americans. Kirby stated that the number of Air Force flight departing was likely to remain similar over the next 24 hours, but he couldn’t estimate how many people.
A White House official stated Wednesday night that nearly 6,000 people were evacuated by the U.S. Military since Saturday.
Kriby stated that the administration was looking at its options to deal with another problem, which is related to the abandonment by Afghan security force of a variety of military equipment and weapons that were in the hands of militant groups or the Taliban.
Kirby stated that “we don’t want to see our equipment go into the hands of people who would act against us or the Afghan people, and increase violence and insecurity in Afghanistan.” Kirby stated that there are many policy options, including the possibility of destruction.
Kirby stated that several hundred additional U.S. troops would arrive at the airport on Thursday.
Kirby stated that an Air Force unit, which specializes in quickly setting up and maintaining aircraftfield operations, arrived overnight. Kirby said that Marines who have been trained in evacuation support arrived and will help civilians board flights.
Representative Kevin McCarthy and Senator Mitch McConnell were the top congressional Republicans and asked Biden Wednesday to attend a classified briefing with “gang of 8” — the top Democrats, Republicans and House intelligence committee members, as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
McCarthy and McConnell requested a briefing about the Afghan Americans and plans to evacuate them. Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s spokesperson, tweeted that McConnell had requested such a meeting. He said that House members would be receiving an unclassified telephone briefing Friday, and an in-person briefing on Tuesday.
