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17-08-2021
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies
KABUL/ ISLAMABAD/ WASHINGTON/ DUBAI: President Joe Biden acknowledged that the Afghan government collapsed more quickly than he expected and suggested that they had lacked the will to stand up to the Taliban.
“The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated,” Biden said in a much-awaited televised address from the White House, after several days of silence on the momentous developments.
Biden put the blame squarely with Afghan military and civilian leadership, saying, “We gave them every tool they could need. We provided close air support. What we could not provide is the will to fight for their future.”
He continued, “So what’s happened? Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight.”
The US leader said the 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.
“We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained and equipped 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,” he emphasized.
“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. Taliban does not have an air force. We provided close air support. We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future.”
“If Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistance to the Taliban now, there is no chance that one year one more year, five more years or 20 more years that U.S. military boots on the ground would have made any difference,” Biden said.
The US president deplored the attitude of Afghanistan’s political leadership and doubled down his decision for the US forces’ pullout, saying, “It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan’s own armed forces would not. The political leaders of Afghanistan were unable to come together for the good of their people, unable to negotiate for the future of their country when the chips were down.”
“They would never have done so while U.S. troops remained in Afghanistan bearing the brunt of the fighting for them,” he added.
Biden also passed scathing criticism on President Ashraf Ghani, who he said flat out ignored his advice on greater unity among leaders and the pursuit of a diplomatic solution.
“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 U.S. military departed,” he said.
“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. Ghani insisted the Afghan forces would fight, but obviously he was wrong.”
The US president also claimed that the Afghan government got in way of allowing the departure of Afghans who worked for the US for fear of triggering a crisis. “Will redouble efforts on getting them out,” he asserted.
The US leader again defended the US pullout from Afghanistan, saying he stood by the policy and that it was time to leave after 20 years of conflict.
“I am president of the United States of America and the buck stops with me,” Biden said.
As scenes of mayhem unfolded in the Afghan capital, Biden said he was “deeply saddened” by the turn of events — and promised to “speak out” on the rights of women now facing a return to Taliban rule.
But he was steadfast in insisting he did not regret pulling out America’s troops — despite a torrent of criticism of the chaotic end to two decades of US-led military intervention.
“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said. “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces.”
Biden reiterated however that the US national interest in Afghanistan was always principally about preventing terrorist attacks on the US homeland — and that America would continue to “act quickly and decisively” against any terror threat emanating from the country.
“The mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation-building,” he said. “Our only vital national interest in Afghanistan remains today what it has always been: preventing a terrorist attack on American homeland.
And the US president issued a stark warning to the Taliban not to disrupt or threaten the evacuation of thousands of American diplomats and Afghan translators at the Kabul airport.
“We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary,” he said.
Biden warned the Taliban not to disrupt or threaten the evacuation of thousands of American diplomats and Afghan translators at the Kabul airport.
The response to any attack would be “swift and forceful,” Biden said.
“We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary,” he said.
President Biden again defended the US pullout of Afghanistan, saying he stood by the policy and that it was time to leave after 20 years of conflict.
“I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces,” he said.
He added that the US national interest in Afghanistan was always principally about preventing terrorist attacks from the war-torn nation on the US homeland.
“The mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation-building,” he said.
Earlier, Secretary of State Antony Blinken nonetheless discussed Afghanistan with the foreign ministers of Russia and China, both of which have moved quickly to work with the Taliban.
Russia said Blinken and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed Moscow’s outreach to various Afghan political forces that is aimed at “helping ensure stability and public order.”
The two “agreed to continue consultations with the participation of China, Pakistan and other interested nations to establish the right conditions to begin an inclusive inter-Afghan dialogue under the new conditions,” a Russian foreign ministry statement said.
Both Russia and China stepped up contacts with the Taliban after the United States decided to withdraw from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year military involvement and setting off the swift crumbling of the government in Kabul.
Moscow, which in Soviet times spent a decade in a costly occupation of Afghanistan during which it battled Islamic guerrillas then backed by Washington, has kept its embassy open in Kabul and plans discussions with the Taliban.
Russia has said it sees the Taliban “restoring order” while, China said it wants “friendly and cooperative” relations with Afghanistan under Taliban.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Biden that Beijing sought an “open and inclusive political framework.”
“China stands ready to communicate with the United States to push for a soft landing of the Afghan issue, so that a new civil war or humanitarian disaster will be prevented in Afghanistan and the country will not relapse into a hotbed and shelter for terrorism,” Wang said, according to state news agency Xinhua.
US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad regularly consulted Russia and China during his unsuccessful diplomacy to encourage a peaceful power-sharing agreement as the United States withdrew.
In the meantime Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Monday that the defeat of the United States in the Afghan War is an opportunity to establish durable peace in Afghanistan.
Taliban insurgents took control of the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday following a rout of the US-backed Afghan army as foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan.
Washington has accused Iran in the past of providing covert aid to the Taliban against US forces. Tehran, which supports an inclusive Afghan government that would include all ethnic groups and sects, has denied this.
“America’s military defeat and its withdrawal must become an opportunity to restore life, security, and durable peace in Afghanistan,” Iran’s state TV quoted Raisi as saying.
“Iran backs efforts to restore stability in Afghanistan and, as a neighboring and brother nation, Iran invites all groups in Afghanistan to reach a national agreement.”
Iran has been a foe of the Taliban for decades, but for the last few years, it has been openly meeting Taliban leaders. In July, Tehran hosted a meeting of then-Afghan government representatives and a high-level Taliban political committee.
Oil-producing Iran, a destination for Afghans seeking work or fleeing war, said on Sunday it had prepared accommodation in three provinces to provide temporary refuge to Afghans fleeing their country but with its economy stifled by US sanctions, Iran has encouraged many of the more than two million undocumented and over 800,000 registered Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic to return home.
Earlier, the spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban on Monday declared that the war in the country is over, saying that the group desires peaceful relations with the world.
The statement comes a day after the Afghan Taliban entered Kabul as President Ashraf Ghani left the country, saying he wanted avoid bloodshed and conflict.
The group respected women’s and minorities’ rights and freedom of expression within Sharia law, Spokesperson Mohammad Naeem added.
Naeem said the Taliban wanted to have peaceful relations and was keen to develop several channels of communication it had already opened with foreign countries.
“We ask all countries and entities to sit with us to settle any issues”, he said in an interview with Al Jazeera TV.
Two decades ago, the George Bush administration overthrew the Taliban from power in Afghanistan.
Naeem said that no diplomatic body or headquarters was targeted in the Taliban’s approach and the group would provide safety for citizens and diplomatic missions.
Ghani’s escape was unexpected and “even those close to him did not expect it,” Naeem said.
“We are ready to have a dialogue with all Afghan figures and will guarantee them the necessary protection,” he told media.
The Taliban was seeing the fruits of its efforts and sacrifices for 20 years, he said, and would adopt a policy of non-interference in others’ affairs in return for non-interference in Afghanistan.
“We have reached what we were seeking, which is the freedom of our country and the independence of our people,” he said. “We will not allow anyone to use our lands to target anyone, and we do not want to harm others.”
“We do not think that foreign forces will repeat their failed experience in Afghanistan once again.”
More than 60 countries urge safe exit of Afghans: US
WASHINGTON: More than 60 countries issued a joint statement saying Afghans and international citizens who want to leave Afghanistan must be allowed to depart and added that airports and border crossings must remain open, the U.S. State Department said late on Sunday.
The U.S. government and countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Qatar and the UK said in a joint statement that “those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility – and accountability – for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order.”
It added that “the Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. We in the international community stand ready to assist them.”
The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over after the insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as U.S.-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled on Monday to evacuate thousands of their citizens.
The Pentagon authorized another 1,000 troops to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for them from Kabul as the U.S. government said it would assume air traffic control to facilitate the departure of thousands of Americans.
A joint statement from the State Department and Pentagon after the Taliban entered the Afghan capital confirmed that the United States over the next 48 hours will “have expanded our security presence to nearly 6,000 troops, with a mission focused solely on facilitating these efforts and will be taking over air traffic control.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter “the United States joins the international community in affirming that Afghans and international citizens who wish to depart must be allowed to do so. Roads, airports, and border crossing must remain open, and calm must be maintained.”
Other countries signing the joint statement include Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and Yemen as well as the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, the State Department said.
As supporters of US military operations in Afghanistan scramble to board America’s planes to leave Kabul as Afghan Taliban quickly took control of the capital, US troops opened fire to Afghan civilians to clear the runway for the taking off of its planes.
A stampede inside the Kabul airport on Monday also left some people dead or injured. At least ten deaths have been reported at the airport as of Monday night, according to media.
Gunshots were heard in videos taken at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Monday as hundreds tried to forcibly enter planes to leave Afghanistan, many fell in a stampede.
After Kabul fell to the Taliban on Sunday, a large number of civilians began mass migration amid fear. On Monday, all commercial flights from Kabul’s airport had been cancelled, according to a statement from Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority.
The agency noted that the massive rush of passengers to the airport in the chaotic situation could lead to looting and other disorderly situations.
Media reported that the airport has been under control of the US army, as thousands of Americans, foreign nationals, and Afghans jostled to leave the country. Over 5,000 US soldiers had been sent to Kabul to help evacuate US diplomats and Afghan allies in the past few days.
