US 'no longer had a clear purpose in Afghanistan,' Biden says: LIVE UPDATES
President Biden explained his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan during a televised addressed from the White House.
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President Biden’s address to the nation Tuesday following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan hid the fact that he completely ignored the terms of which the U.S. agreed to pull out, Fox News senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane revealed on "The Story."
A pair of boots is displayed as part of a memorial aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Aug. 29, 2021, in remembrance of the 13 service members recently killed in Afghanistan. The memorial, comprised of community donations, was displayed at the entrance of MCBH. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Samantha Sanchez)
Among those at greatest risk under Taliban rule are women, who make up roughly half the country’s population and were severely oppressed during the Islamist group’s previous time in power in the late 1990s.
As Afghanistan readies for a future without the presence of U.S. troops, American military officials will most likely combat ISIS-K through the use of drone strikes, said drone expert Brett Velicovich.
One of the first strikes was carried out on Friday in response to a bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members a day earlier amid evacuations at Kabul's international airport. ISIS-K, an Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the terror attack.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not deny Tuesday that President Biden looked at his watch during a dignified transfer ceremony in honor of the 13 U.S. service members killed by a terrorist bombing in Kabul.
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The Pentagon will continue to conduct drone strikes against ISIS-K militants and other targets within Afghanistan when necessary even after the permanent withdrawal of the U.S. military presence within the country, spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.
The U.S. launched deadly drone strikes against an individual described as an "ISIS-K planner" as well as a suspected suicide car bomber in recent days after the terrorist group claimed responsibility for suicide bombings that killed 13 U.S. service members. Kirby indicated the Pentagon would utilize drone strikes if threats arose in the future.
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Gen. Mark Milley has issued a memorandum for the Joint Force thanking U.S. military members for their service following the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"Your actions honor the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters in arms who lost their lives or were wounded in Afghanistan," reads the letter, co-signed by Gen. Mark Milley. "Over the last two decades and the last 2 weeks, you embodied our American values of equality, liberty and human dignity for all."
Reporters grilled White House press secretary on the Biden administration's Afghanistan withdrawal Tuesday, including with questions about an Afghan ally who drove through a snowstorm to rescue then-Sen. Joe Biden and three other senators after the weather forced their helicopter to land in a remote valley.
The interpreter, identified only as Mohammed out of concerns for his safety since he is still trapped in the Taliban-held country, told the Wall Street Journal Monday that he is in hiding with his wife and four children.
"Hello Mr. President, Save me and my family," he told the paper. "Don't forget me here."
"Our message to him is, thank you for fighting by our side for the last 20 years," Psaki said. "Thank you for the role you played in helping a number of my favorite people out of a snowstorm. And for all of the work you did. And our commitment is enduring not just to American citizens, but to our Afghan partners who have fought by our side and our efforts and our focus right now is, as you heard General Mackenzie say and others say over the last twenty four hours, is to the diplomatic phase. We will get you out. We will honor your service and we're committed to doing exactly that.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki addressed concerns about the hundreds of U.S. citizens who remain trapped in Afghanistan following the full withdrawal of American troops.
“The vast majority, if not everyone, are dual citizens who are still there who have lived their entire lives in Afghanistan,” Psaki said. “This is where they’ve lived. This is where their family members are. This is not an easy decision to leave.”
President Biden "was deeply impacted" after the deaths of 13 U.S. service members killed at Kabul's airport airport last week and frequently talks about them in meetings, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
The remark came in response to a question about criticism from the fallen heroes' families over Biden appearing to check his watch during the dignified transfer ceremony.
“I would say his message to all of the family members who were there, those were not even in attendance, is that he is grateful to their sons and daughters, the sacrifice they made to the country, that he knows firsthand what it’s like to lose a child and the fact that no one can tell you anything or say anything or there’s no words to fill that hole that is left by that," Psaki said.
President Biden noted the true cost of the nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan during his remarks.
"I'm the fourth president that must face the issue of whether to end this war," he said. "We no longer had a clear purpose in an open ended mission in Afghanistan. After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, I refuse to send another generation of America's sons and daughters to fight a war that should have ended long ago."
"And most of all, after 800,000 Americans serving in Afghanistan ... After 20,744 American servicemen and women injured, and the loss of 2,461 American personnel, including 13 lives lost just this week, I refuse to open another decade of warfare in Afghanistan."
"If you're 20 years old today, you've never known an America at peace. So when I hear that we could have, should've continued this so-called low-grade effort in Afghanistan, at low risk to our service members, at low cost, I don't think enough people understand how much we have asked of the 1 percent of this country who put that uniform on, willing to put their lives on the line in defense of our nation," he continued, citing his deceased son, Beau Biden, who served in Iraq.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that U.S. leverage over the Taliban includes access to the global marketplace -- warning that the radical Islamist group could face sanctions going forward if it fails to live up to international norms.
"We have enormous leverage over the Taliban, including access to the global marketplace," she said during her daily news briefing. "That's no small piece of leverage. And in order to gain access to the global marketplace, we're going to be watching closely, as will the global community. I would note that yesterday the U.N. Security Council also signed a passed a resolution that made clear to what the expectation is in terms of safe travel and evacuation or departure, I should say, of individuals who want to leave Afghanistan. And nearly half of the countries in the world have also signed on to a statement making clear that is the expectation."
Biden promised that the 13 service members who lost their lives during an attack by ISIS-K fighters would not be forgotten.
"Twenty service members were wounded in the service of this mission. Thirteen heroes gave their lives," he said. "We owe them and their families a debt of gratitude we can never repay."
Earlier, he warned those looking to commit terror acts against the U.S.
"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down to the end of the Earth and you will pay the ultimate price," he said.
Biden said his administration will work to make sure the Taliban follows through on its commitments, specifically allowing those who want to leave the country.
"We don't take them by their word alone, but by their actions," he said. And we have leverage to make sure those commitments are met."
He said he no longer believe that having troops and spending billions strengthens America's safety and security.
"The fundamental obligation of a president, in my opinion, is to defend and protect America," he said. "Not against threats of 2001 but against the threats of 2021 and tomorrow."
He cited promises to end the conflict on the campaign trial.
More than 5,500 Americans were airlifted out of Afghanistan, as well as thousands of Afghan translators and interpreters, Biden said in his address in which he priased the chaotic evaucation effort.
"Since March, we reached out 19 times to Americans in Afghanistan, with multiple warnings and offers to help them leave Afghanistan, all the way back as far as March," Biden said.
In his remarks from the White House about the U.S. withdrawl from Afghanistan, President Biden said Tuesday that 120,000 people were evacuated from the country, concluding America'slongest war almost two decades after it began.
"We completed one of the biggest air lifts in history with more than 120,000 people evacuated to safety," he said. "That number is more than double what most experts thought were possible. No nation, no nation has ever done anything like it in all of history."
Around 100 to 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan. Most are dual citizens who decided to stay, possibly because of family connections, he said. His administration will work to grant safe passge to Americans who want to leave, he said.
"We remain committed to get them out if they want to come out," he said.
The assumption that Afghan forces would be able to hold up to the country amid threats from the Taliban turned out to not be accurate.
The family of fallen U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, a soon-to-be father who was killed in a bombing during the mass evacuation in Afghanistan, was welcomed back to Wyoming on Monday with a police escort and people waving American flags as they lined the streets.
McCollum, 20, was among 13 service members killed by a suicide bomb attack Thursday at the Kabul airport while providing security as people tried to flee the country amid the U.S. withdrawal and Taliban takeover. He was expecting his first child in three weeks, according to his family.
Since McCollum’s death, thousands of people from across the country have made donations to his family. As of Tuesday, the donations exceeded $500,000 across two GoFundMe campaigns set up for McCollum’s widow and their unborn child’s future education costs.
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U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss with his wife, Alena. (Family Handout)
The young widow of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, one of 13 service members killed a suicide bomb attack at Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, said her husband "would not regret" being called for the mission to evacuate Americans and refugees, adding "if he knew the outcome, he would do it again."
"We were just blissfully happy," Alena Knauss said of life with her husband and high school sweetheart, whose remains were transported back from Afghanistan in a flag-draped coffin. "I have no regrets."
"For him, it's the ultimate honor he could give back to his country," she told WBIR. "To help those people and to know he was helping people, he would not be sorry. He would not regret it."
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A former British soldier has plotted an escape from Afghanistan with hundreds of refugees in tow, according to reports. Ben Slater, 37, used to work as a bodyguard to British ambassadors abroad.
Now, he’s charting a course through Taliban-controlled lands with 400 Afghan citizens – including staff from his organization, the Nomad Concepts Group – after the British Foreign Office failed to approve his visas for the air evacuation.
"It’s going to be a long trip, and I am hoping on the other end that the FCDO have got our visas sorted, or at least have spoken to the foreign affairs ministry in our destination country to allow access for our vulnerable staff," Slater told The Telegraph.
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The House Freedom Caucus is holding a press conference at 12:30 p.m. ET "demanding accountability from the Biden administration" over the Afghanistan withdrawal.
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Pentagon spokesman John Kirby acknowledged Tuesday that Americans were "stranded" in Afghanistan, despite the earlier stance by White House press secretary Jen Psaki that use of the term to describe those unable to escape the Taliban-controlled country was "irresponsible."
In an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Kirby admitted to not knowing the exact number of Americans still in Afghanistan, but that efforts to extract them from the war-torn country would be through diplomatic and economic means, not with the military.
"Right now I think the tools we have available to us and that we're going to use as a U.S. government is going to be more in the diplomatic, economic lanes, and we don’t really see a military role right now," Kirby told host Willie Geist after he asked if the military would have a role in rescuing those Americans.
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This undated photo released by the 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton/U.S. Marines shows Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, Calif. (AP/U.S. Marines)
Hundreds showed up for a memorial hike in southern California Sunday to pay tribute to Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, one of the 13 service members who died in a suicide bomb attack last week at Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as refugees were still being evacuated.
Nikoui, a U.S. Marine who graduated from Norco High School in 2019, had planned to go on a hike with a fellow former JROTC cadet at Pumpkin Rock Trail after his return overseas. Ashley Lopez, who was his drill instructor in high school, described how the pair planned their reunion over social media, as Nikoui had recently sent her a photo over Snap Chat of him smiling alongside an Afghan child.
Lopez, who helped organize the memorial hike Sunday, told Pasadena Star-News she wishes she had taken a screenshot of the photo, as it was the last time she saw Nikoui alive before the Aug. 26 attack.
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The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan may be hailed as the end of a 20-year war, but with American forces no longer on the ground there, experts and lawmakers warn that countering terrorists who may seek to attack the U.S. will be more difficult.
That concern was summed up by Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., a combat veteran who served as a Green Beret. After 13 American service members were killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport days before the withdrawal was complete, Waltz predicted that the violence will not end there.
"The War in Afghanistan has not ended. It’s been extended," Waltz tweeted Monday evening. "Terrorism in Afghanistan won’t stay in Afghanistan. It will spread like a cancer and follow us home."
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Horrifying audio of distant gunshots appears to confirm reports of "house-to-house executions" as the Taliban asserts control of Kabul and Afghanistan after the U.S. military's departure on Monday evening.
An Afghan man who worked with Americans on the ground provided Fox News with the chilling audio featuring distant gunshots.
"I think there's a conflict between the Taliban, I have no idea where I'm located. From everywhere I hear the sounds of shooting, gunfire. I have no idea how to leave," the Afghan man said in the audio clip, recorded around the time the final U.S. plane left Kabul.
Taliban militants were carrying out "house-to-house executions in Kabul" after the U.S. departure, a senior U.S. source told Fox News Investigative journalist Lara Logan.
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(AFP/Getty Images)
A Taliban fighter sits in the cockpit of an Afghan Air Force aircraft at Kabul's airport on Tuesday following the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden Administration will continue its effort to evacuate the more than 100 Americans remaining in Afghanistan, even after the full withdrawal of U.S. troops, saying the mission has now "shifted from a military mission to a diplomatic mission."
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. announced Monday evening that the last of the U.S. troops stationed at the Kabul airport had left, completing the military’s drawdown in the country, even though hundreds of Americans likely remain.
McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said some American citizens who wanted to leave Afghanistan remained in the country.
"We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out," he said.
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Afghans wait in long lines for hours to try to withdraw money, in front of Bank in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday. The Taliban have limited weekly withdrawals to $200. (AP)
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi is warning that "a larger crisis is just beginning" as the last U.S. military forces have departed Afghanistan.
"The evacuation effort has undoubtedly saved tens of thousands of lives, and these efforts are praiseworthy," he said in a statement . "But when the airlift and the media frenzy are over, the overwhelming majority of Afghans, some 39 million, will remain inside Afghanistan. They need us – governments, humanitarians, ordinary citizens – to stay with them and stay the course."
Grandi added that "around 3.5 million people have already been displaced by violence within the country – more than half a million since the start of this year."
"We must not turn away," he said. "A far greater humanitarian crisis is just beginning."
Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, left, is shown here Monday being the last American soldier to depart Afghanistan. (U.S. Army/XVIII Airborne Corps)
Following nearly 20 years of occupation, Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue – the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division based out of Fort Bragg, N.C. – is the last American soldier to have set foot in Afghanistan.
The U.S. Army's XVIII Airborne Corps posted an image Monday of Donohue boarding a plane at night, marking the completed withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from the war-torn country ahead of the Biden administration’s Aug. 31 deadline.
"In awe of our Sky Dragon Soldiers," the unit posted on Twitter. "This was an incredibly tough, pressurized mission filled with multiple complexities, with active threats the entire time. Our troops displayed grit, discipline and empathy. Below is a picture of the last Soldier to leave Afghanistan."
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Americans and Afghan allies weren’t the only ones apparently left behind in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
A non-profit organization said it was continuing to work Tuesday to help evacuate dozens of contracted military working dogs from the country, according to reports.
Joshua Hosler, president of Veteran Sheepdogs of America, said the organization was given 51 working dogs with the responsibility of getting them out of Kabul. The non-profit tweeted a photo last weekend of more than a dozen dog crates in front of a helicopter, which Hosler said was just a fraction of the canines left behind in the U.S. troop withdrawal, according to TMZ.
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The U.S. Embassy announced on its website that it suspended operations on Tuesday but will continue to assist U.S. citizens and families still in Afghanistan from Doha, Qatar.
“The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the statement read.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took to Twitter to announce a “new chapter of America’s engagement with Afghanistan.”
“As of today, we have suspended our diplomatic presence in Kabul and transferred our operations to Doha, Qatar. For the time being, we will use this post in Doha to manage our diplomacy with Afghanistan,” he posted.
Taliban leaders took over control of the Kabul airport Tuesday and marked the departure of the last U.S. plane from the country by taking a symbolic walk across the airport's sole runway, according to a report.
"The world should have learned its lesson and this is the enjoyable moment of victory," Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said in a livestream video, according to the Associated Press.
Taliban fighters from the Fateh Zwak unit, try to figure out how to open a locked gate after they had taken control of Kabul International Airport after the U.S. Military have completed their withdrawal, in Kabul, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)
Taliban leaders took over control of the Kabul airport Tuesday and marked the departure of the last U.S. plane from the country by taking a symbolic walk across the airport's sole runway, according to a report.
"The world should have learned its lesson and this is the enjoyable moment of victory," Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said in a livestream video, according to the Associated Press.
He spoke to reporters at the Hamid Karzai International Airport and said Americans "could not achieve their goal through military operations," according to Al Jazeera.
Celebratory gunfire could be heard throughout Kabul before dawn, Reuters reported. A reporter from the Los Angeles Times posted video of Taliban fighters inspecting a hanger after the U.S. departure.
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President Biden has faced mounting criticism from lawmakers within his own party in recent days as the last U.S. forces depart Afghanistan following a chaotic evacuation mission.
Much of the Democratic criticism regarding Biden’s handling of the withdrawal has focused on his decision to maintain an Aug. 31 deadline for evacuations despite the administration’s acknowledgments that some Americans would be left behind.
The public reproaches have added to the political pressure on Biden, who has faced scathing attacks from Republicans during the crisis.
Some of the most pointed criticism came from Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa. Last week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee said the evacuation "has been egregiously mishandled" after suicide bombings that killed 13 U.S. service members.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken pledged ongoing support to what he described as the "small number of Americans" still in Afghanistan after the last U.S. troops departed the country on Monday.
Blinken said the State Department does not have an exact figure on the number of Americans still in the country, though it is believed to be "under 200 and likely closer to 100." He added that efforts to determine an exact number were complicated by "longtime residents of Afghanistan who have American passports and are trying to determine whether or not they want to leave."
"Our commitment to them, and to all Americans in Afghanistan and everywhere in the world, continues. The protection and welfare of Americans abroad remains the State Department’s most vital and enduring mission," Blinken said. "If an American in Afghanistan tells us that they want to stay for now and then in a week or a month or a year they reach out and say, ‘I’ve changed my mind,’ we will help them leave."
President Biden appears to have broken his promise to stay in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated.
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. announced Monday evening that the last of the U.S. troops stationed at the Kabul airport had left, completing the military’s drawdown in the country, even though hundreds of Americans likely remain.
McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said some American citizens who wanted to leave Afghanistan remained in the country.
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