The U.S. airlift in Afghanistan that extricated more than 120,000 Americans, Afghans and other allies from Afghanistan and ended a 20-year war was hailed as an "extraordinary success" by President Joe Biden today.
But having said that, Biden did face the music for ending the war abruptly and breaking his promise of bringing all American citizens and at-risk civilians out of the country.
But Biden went on the defensive, saying America cannot extend what was billed as America's longest war on record.
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President Joe Biden appears to have no qualms about ending the evacuation in good time, despite more than 100 Americans and thousands of others being left behind, falling short of his promise to bring all Americans and at-risk Afghans to either the United States or a sanctuary.
Joe Biden: I was not going to extend this forever war. And I was not extending a forever exit.
Sure enough, he didn't oscillate between letting the war continue and ending the war.
The somewhat haphazard and chaotic operation not only encompassed the evacuation of at-risk civilians and Americans, but also days in shambles, particularly the day on which a suicide bombing left 13 U.S. troops and 169 Afghans deceased.
Knowing ridding the world of terrorist organisations while taking over Afghanistan is a lost cause, Biden ended the 20-year war abruptly. The same goes for the airlift.
A decision that now has people at home and abroad, particularly Republicans, reprimanding him for his handling of that evacuation.
Be that as it may, a defiant President still hailed the entire mission as an "extraordinary success."
Biden: The extraordinary success of this mission was due to the incredible skill, bravery, and selfless courage of the United States military and our diplomats and intelligence professionals.
With ruling Afghanistan now a pipe dream, Biden added by no stretch of the imagination will deploying thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan enhance the safety and security of America.
Meanwhile, Biden all but brushed off all Republicans', and even some Democrats' diatribes against the Biden administration's inability to maintain security in Afghanistan.
As ending the war in Afghanistan, which had mired Afghanistan in a maelstrom of civil war, is a weight off his mind, Biden hit back at those who criticised him for ending the war abruptly in Afghanistan, saying critics have failed to recognise the weight of deployment, which had been having U.S. troops angsty.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reacted to some reporters' questions about Biden's anger at criticisms, saying the president had simply offered his "forceful assessment."
Making more of freedom and security for people still in Afghanistan, Biden has ordered the Secretary of State coordinate with international partners to ensure the Taliban will not renege on its pledge of safe passage for Americans and others who long to leave.
Today, Biden also reiterated that ending the Afghanistan war, which could have lasted in perpetuity, was crucial to recalibrating America's foreign policy towards China and Russia. This, as America begins to go full steam ahead to counter potential threats from terrorist organisations, particularly the Islamic State.
Congressional committees are expected to hold public hearings on what went wrong in the final months of the U.S. withdrawal.
For now, the Taliban are not hedging their bets by seeking support from both China, Russia and western powers, as they are devoted to forming a new government, regardless of whether other nations are willing to recognise the regime because of a battery of concerns as to whether human rights will be upheld by the Taliban down the road.
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