Biden defends US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan as Taliban advances

Biden defends US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan as Taliban advances.

United States President Joseph Biden delivered a vehement defense Thursday of his decision to end the war in Afghanistan.

He insisted no amount of sustained American presence there could resolve the country’s own intractable problems.

Biden defends US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan

Biden spoke on Afghanistan from the East Room after receiving an update from his national security team on the deteriorating security situation on the ground.

Instead, Biden argued American resources — lives, money and attention — were better focused elsewhere.

Pressed on the likelihood of a total Taliban takeover, Biden grew defensive.

He further said nothing in Afghanistan’s history suggested there was anything the US could do about it.

Now, he said, it is up to the Afghans to defend their country, determining there was nothing more the United States could do after two decades of war.

“I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome,” he said.

The first time Biden discussed his decision to end the Afghanistan war in a formal setting

Thursday’s remarks came as the first time Biden discussed his decision to end the Afghanistan war in a formal setting since announcing the withdrawal plans in April.

A longtime skeptic of the war, Biden also resisted pressure from military leaders to maintain a troop presence.

Moreover, he determined nothing that the U.S. troops could accomplish by remaining.

The draw-down has coincided with major Taliban gains and a growing fear that without American military support, the Afghan government will collapse.

GTV