‘I Stand Squarely Behind My Decision’: Biden Defends Withdrawal But Admits Afghanistan Fell ‘More Quickly Than Anticipated’

 President Joe Biden cut short his vacation at Camp David to return to the White House and deliver remarks on the catastrophic military withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

Biden opened by explaining the situation he inherited from his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, reminding the nation that the withdrawal plans were negotiated with the Taliban under the Trump administration. He did not blame Trump for the current foreign policy problems, but his noting of Trump’s role was pointed.

“When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban,” he noted, reiterating comments he made on Saturday. “Under his agreement, U.S. forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021, just a little over three months after I took office. U.S. Forces had already drawn down during the Trump administration from roughly 15,500 American forces to 2,500 troops in the country.”

He then stated that he saw only two options: escalate the conflict or continue with the plans for withdrawal, averring “I stand squarely behind my decision after 20 years I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. Forces. That’s why we’re still there. ”

“We were clear-eyed about the risks. We planned for every contingency. But I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you. Truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated

“Here’s what I believe to my core,” he added. “It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan’s own armed forces would not.” This was a theme that he continued through the speech.

“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?” he asked. “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,” he added. “I will not repeat the mistakes we’ve made in the past. 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 U.S. Forces? Those are the mistakes we cannot continue to repeat because we have significant vital interest in the world that we can not afford to ignore.”