President Joe Biden will keep the US troops in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated. He may even maintain a military presence there beyond his August 31 deadline for withdrawal.
“U.S. is committed to keeping United States troops in Afghanistan until all Americans who want to leave the country are able to do so,” President Biden said in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. He also said that he is focused on getting this done before Aug. 31.
He also pushed back against criticism that the US should have done more to plan for the evacuation and withdrawal, which has been marked by scenes of violence and chaos as thousands attempted to flee while the Taliban advanced.
Biden’s deadline for a total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is set to Aug. 31.
Biden told Stephanopoulos that on that day, “if there are American citizens left, we’re gonna stay to get them all out.”
There are 10,000 to 15,000 Americans and between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghans the United States wants to evacuate, Biden said, and “the commitment holds to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone who should come out. And that’s the objective. That’s what we’re doing now. And I think we’ll get there.”
The U.S. needs to get 5,000 to 7,000 people out of the country every day to hit this target and must do so with the Taliban effectively running the Afghan government.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
