Biden Responds to Uproar Over U.S. Not ‘Evacuating Afghan Civilians Sooner’

 President Joe Biden addressed the chaos in Afghanistan on Monday and defended the U.S.’ withdrawal.

One of the most serious questions about the Taliban taking over so quickly is why the United States did not evacuate personnel and American allies sooner, including scores of Afghan interpreters.

During his speech, the president said, “I know there are concerns about why we did not begin evacuating Afghan civilians sooner.”

“Part of the answer,” he continued, “is some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier, still hopeful for their country. And part of it because the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass exoedus to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence.”

Biden said the U.S. has “made it clear to the Taliban” if they attack American personnel, “the response will be swift and forceful.”

He continued to defend his decision overall, saying, “The events we’re seeing now are sadly proof that no amount of military force would ever deliver a stable, united, secure Afghanistan.”