Former Afghan government officials say they have engaged in “fruitful conversations” with the Taliban
From CNN’s Wali Shearzad and Hannah Ritchie
Afghanistan’s former President Hamid Karzai and the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah reported having “fruitful conversations” with the Taliban Monday.
The two leaders, along with former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, formed a “coordinating council” Sunday to facilitate dialogue with the Taliban, following news the group had gained control over Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country.
“[Abdullah, Hekmatyar] and I continue making our efforts for further calm in the city of Kabul and the return to normal daily life; God willing, these efforts will bear fruits,” Karzai said in a Facebook video posted Monday.
“We are in contact with the leaders of the Taliban Islamic Movement; we had fruitful conversations; we talked regarding important issues; very good cooperation continues,” he added.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Monday, the spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha, Suhail Shaheen, said the group is committed to an “inclusive Islamic government” in Afghanistan, but refused to say whether Abdullah or Karzai would be part of it.
Karzai served as the interim President of Afghanistan in 2001 when the Taliban was overthrown by US and NATO forces. He was subsequently elected for two consecutive terms as President in 2004 and 2009.
Karzai has signaled that he plans to stay in Afghanistan to facilitate a peaceful transition of power.
Biden on Afghanistan collapse: “This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated”
From CNN’s Jasmine Wright
President Biden admitted that the collapse of Afghanistan’s civil government unfolded “more quickly than we had anticipated,” conceding a miscalculation in the administration’s withdraw from the two-decade long war Monday in his address to the nation.
“We were clear eyed about the risks, we planned for every contingency, but I always promised the American people that I would be straight with you,” he said.
“The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated,” Biden added.
The President then continued the administration’s efforts to shift the blame onto Afghan leaders for the fall of Kabul, saying the political leaders “gave up and fled the country.”
“So, what happened?” Biden asked. “Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country.”
Ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday for Tajikistan, two sources told CNN.
“The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight. If anything, the developments in the past week reinforced ending that US military involvement Afghanistan now was the right decision,” he added. “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.”
Biden also pointed the finger at Ghani in his speech.
“When I hosted President Ghani and Chairman Abdullah, at the White House in June, and again when I spoke by phone to Ghani in July, we had very frank conversations. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the US military departed, to clean up the corruption in government, so the government could function for the Afghan people,” Biden said.
He continued, “We talked extensively about the need for Afghan leaders to unite politically — they failed to do any of that. I also urged them to engage in diplomacy, to seek a political settlement with the Taliban. This advice was flatly refused. Mr. Ghani insisted that the Afghan forces would fight. And obviously he was wrong.”
Biden says he won’t pass Afghanistan war decision on to another president
From CNN’s Josiah Ryan
President Biden today said he was unwilling to pass the decision on when to end the war in Afghanistan to a fifth presidential administration.
“I’m now the fourth American President to preside over war in Afghanistan,” he said, speaking from the White House. “…I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth president.”
Biden went on to say there would never be an easy time to end US operations, which have spanned nearly 20 years,
“I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference,” he said.
“I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to another President… yet another one, a fifth one,” he continued.
“It’s the right one, it’s the right decision for our people, the right one for our brave service members who risked their lives serving our nation ands it’s the right one for America,” he said, concluding his remarks from the White House.
Biden on 20 years of US military presence in Afghanistan: “The buck stops with me”
From CNN’s Maureen Chowdhury
President Biden acknowledged the “many missteps” made in Afghanistan over two decades of US military presence and took some responsibility for the current situation unfolding on the ground during his remarks at the White House.
“We have to be honest, our mission in Afghanistan is taking many missteps — made many missteps over the past two decades. I’m now the fourth American president to preside over war in Afghanistan. Two Democrats and two Republicans. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth president. I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference. Nor will I shrink from my share of responsibility for where we are today in how we must move forward from here,” Biden said.
I am President of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me. I’m deeply saddened by the facts we now face. But I do not regret my decision to end America’s war fighting in Afghanistan,” the President said.
Biden acknowledges that the scenes from Aghanistan are “painful” for veterans
During his address today, Biden acknowledged how “painful” the “scenes that we’re seeing in Afghanistan” are for many people, in particular veterans and others who have “spent time on the ground working to support the Afghan people.”
“The scenes that we’re seeing in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for our veterans, our diplomats, humanitarian workers, for anyone who has spent time on the ground working to support the Afghan people. For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan, and for Americans who have fought and served in the country, serve our country in Afghanistan. This is deeply, deeply personal. It is for me as well.”
He said that he has traveled to Afghanistan on four occasions.
“I’ve met with the people, I’ve spoken with the leaders. I spent time with our troops and I came to understand firsthand what was and was not possible in Afghanistan. So now we’re focused on what is possible. We will continue to support the Afghan people.”
Biden: “I stand squarely behind my decision” to pull US troops from Afghanistan
From CNN’s Josiah Ryan
President Biden today said he stands by his decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan, characterizing the decision as a choice between pulling out, or going back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the fighting season.
“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said in remarks from the White House. “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces. That’s why we’re still there.”
Biden went on to say that he had weighed the risks carefully before making the decision, but acknowledged that the situation on the ground had devolved more quickly than he anticipated.
“We were clear-eyed about the risks,” he said. “We planned for every contingency. But, I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you. The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.”
The President went on to outline what he believes were the events that led to the Taliban’s swift takeover in the country.
“So what’s happened? Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, some without trying to fight. If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending US military involvement in Afghanistan, now, was the right decision,” Biden said. “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.”
Biden defends decision to withdraw from Afghanistan: “How many more lives, American lives, is it worth?”
President Biden stood firm in his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, vowing in White House remarks to not repeat the mistakes “we’ve made in the past.”
“So I’m left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay. How many more generations of America’s daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistan’s civil war? When Afghan troops will not? How many more lives, American lives, is it worth? How many endless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery? I’m clear in my answer. I will not repeat the mistakes we’ve made in the past,” the President said.
“The mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely in a conflict that is not in the national interest of the United States, of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country, of attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of US forces. Those are the mistakes we cannot continue to repeat because we have significant vital interest in the world that we cannot afford to ignore,” the President continued.
Biden acknowledged how painful it is for many in the US and in Afghanistan to see the images unfolding on the ground.
“The scenes that we’re seeing in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for our veterans, our diplomats, humanitarian workers, for anyone who has spent time on the ground working to support the Afghan people,” Biden said.
“For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan, and for Americans who have fought and served in the country, serve our country in Afghanistan. This is deeply, deeply personal. It is for me as well. I’ve worked on these issues as long as anyone,” Biden continued.
Biden touted his own travel to the region as vice president, telling reporters, “So now we’re focused, focused on what is possible.”
“We will continue to support the Afghan people. We will lead with our diplomacy, our international influence and our humanitarian aid, we’ll continue to push for regional diplomacy and engagement to prevent violence and instability. We’ll continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people, of women and girls, just as we speak out all over the world. I’ve been clear: human rights must be the center of our foreign policy, not the periphery. But the way to do it is not through endless military deployments,” the President said.
CNN’s DJ Judd contributed reporting to this post.
Biden: “It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan’s own armed forces would not”
President Biden said the situation in Afghanistan unfolded “more quickly than we had anticipated,” but defended his withdrawal of US troops.
“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,” Biden said in an address to the nation Monday.
“We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong, incredibly well equipped. A force larger in size than the militaries of many of our nato allies. We gave them every tool they could need. We paid their salaries, provided for the maintenance of their air force, something the Taliban doesn’t have,” he continued.
Biden said it was the Afghanistan political leaders who gave up and fled the country.
“We gave them every chance to determine their own future. We could not provide them the will to fight for that future. There are some very brave and capable Afghan special forces units and soldiers, but if Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistance to the Taliban now, there is no chance that one more year, five more years or 20 more years of US military boots on the ground would’ve made any difference.”
The President said he believes “it is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan’s own armed forces would not.”
Biden: My choice was either to follow through with Trump’s agreement with Taliban or escalate conflict
From CNN’s Maureen Chowdhury
President Biden defended his decision to rapidly withdraw troops from Afghanistan, citing the deal his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, made with the Taliban as one of the main reasons.
“When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban. Under his agreement, US Forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021, just a little over three months after I took office. US forces had already drawn down during the Trump administration from roughly 15,500 American forces to 2,500 troops in country. And the Taliban was at its strongest militarily since 2001. The choice I had to make as your President was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season. It would’ve been no ceasefire after May 1. There was no agreement protecting our forces after May 1. There was no status quo of stability without American casualties after May 1,” Biden said during his remarks from The White House.
Biden continued, “There was only a cold reality of either following through on the agreement to withdraw our forces or escalating the conflict and sending thousands more American troops back into combat in Afghanistan. Lurching into the third decade of conflict. I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said.
