The defiant Biden “openly” stands behind the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan despite Taliban control | world News

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Joe Biden says he stands “frankly” behind his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.

The US president spoke after the Taliban entered Kabul and swept into power in the country – 20 years after they were ousted in the US-led invasion.

Biden said the US mission in Afghanistan was not supposed to be nation-building.

“I stand firmly behind my decision,” he said – although he admitted that the Afghan government’s collapse was faster than expected.

Live updates in Afghanistan: all with the Taliban forming a new government

Photo: President Joe Biden delivering a speech on Afghanistan

He said that the Afghan government’s swift end only justified his choice to end the war.

Biden added that “American forces cannot and should not go to war and die in a war that Afghan forces do not want to fight for themselves.”

The US leader played down the prospect of the Taliban’s rise for months while saying Americans of all political persuasions were tired of a 20-year war.

With the Taliban regaining control, the US, UK and other countries scrambled to evacuate their citizens and local allies.

Photo: President Joe Biden returned to the White House earlier on Monday. Pic: Ap

Biden warned the Taliban not to interfere with US evacuation efforts, threatening “with devastating force, if necessary.”

Thousands of Afghans flocked to the main airport in Kabul, driving it into chaos.

Some were so desperate to escape from the Taliban that they trapped a military plane during takeoff and fell to their deaths, with senior US military officials claiming seven people were killed in total.

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Chaos at Kabul airport as people cling to the plane

A US official said that soldiers fired in the air to deter people who tried to force their way into the military plane that was to take US diplomats and US embassy staff from the downed city.

Another US official later said that forces protecting the airport in Kabul had killed two militants in two separate incidents.

A third official described the crowd trying to climb onto the tarmac as “out of control” and other photos showed people dragging children over a barbed wire fence and climbing an air bridge that allows people to board a plane from an arrival terminal. Undercarriage housing of a military aircraft traveling along the runway.

Photo: People trying to jump from a wall to Kabul airport

Other footage, distributed by Afghan media and on social media, was said to show at least one person falling from the undercarriage of a military plane that took off.

The Taliban are expected to declare Afghanistan now the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, under Islamic law.

Taliban officials have declared the war in Afghanistan over and are responsible for 90% of government buildings, amid allegations of revenge killings, brutal tactics, and some looting and lawlessness.

President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as Islamists began to enter Kabul almost unopposed – despite persistent but short-lived resistance elsewhere – saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed.

Image: Roads around Kabul were closed as people rushed to the airport Image: People were seen clinging to planes taking off from the international airport

Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United Nations said Monday that the United Nations Security Council should “use all means at its disposal to call for an immediate cessation of violence” in his country, and “respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.”

He urged all members of the United Nations not to recognize any administration that comes to power by force or a government that is not inclusive.

Photo: The Taliban have been accused of brutally imposing their strict version of Islamic law

Speaking on behalf of the millions of Afghan girls and women who are on the verge of losing their liberties…thousands of human rights defenders, journalists, academics and government employees, the official Afghan ambassador, Ghulam Isakzai, said at a meeting of the UN Security Council held in the wake of the apparent victory of the Taliban.. Their lives are in danger… Thousands of internally displaced people are in dire need of shelter and protection.

“We are deeply concerned about the Taliban’s failure to fulfill their obligations… We have seen time and time again how the Taliban have reneged on their promises in the past. We have seen horrific images of mass executions by the Taliban and military and targeted killings of civilians in Kandahar and other major cities.”

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Monday evening that the UK government was “surprised by the scale and speed” of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

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Ensuring that winnings are not lost is the highest priority

He revealed that 150 Britons will return to the UK in the early hours of the morning, with another 350 Britons and Afghans arriving in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris plans to host a virtual meeting of G7 leaders and has stepped up efforts to evacuate UK citizens and others from Kabul.

Man No. 10 said he spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday about how the two countries could work together to recognize any future Afghan government, as well as try to prevent a humanitarian and refugee crisis.

Many other countries that were involved in efforts to rebuild the country amid a two-decade war with the Taliban also began withdrawing their diplomatic staff and continued to try to evacuate civilians and Afghans who helped them.

Photo: A new life began under Taliban rule in Afghanistan

Among the countries planning to withdraw personnel there is Russia, which launched an invasion in 1979 and fought mujahideen including members of the Taliban during a 10-year war. This came when the Taliban deployed guards at the Russian embassy.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed that the first group of evacuees of Britons and embassy staff arrived at RAF Brize Norton on Sunday evening.

There are reportedly 4,000 Britons in Afghanistan and the UK said it plans to step up efforts to evacuate up to 1,500 people from Afghanistan per day.

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