Biden denies international criticism of withdrawal from Afghanistan | United States and world

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President Joe Biden has dismissed fears that his handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan has undermined the country’s position abroad.

“I have not seen any questioning of our credibility by our allies,” Biden told reporters Friday at the White House. “The point is, I haven’t seen it. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite.”

Biden then pivoted on his justification for the withdrawal, skipping his botched execution, from the East Room, where he stood flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

“We went to Afghanistan for the express purpose of getting rid of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, as well as getting Osama bin Laden,” he said. “And we did.”

During his second speech in Afghanistan and his first response to questions from reporters about a list after the collapse of the Western-backed government, Biden said the Group of Seven world leaders would meet next week to discuss the issue. ‘a “united approach” to withdrawal.

“We came in together and we are leaving together,” Biden said of his NATO allies. “And now we are working together to bring our Afghan people and partners to safety.”

Biden only spoke to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday, two days after the Taliban entered the Afghan capital of Kabul and former Afghan Prime Minister Ashraf Ghani fled. The president then met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday and President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, according to White House readings of the conversations.

“There will be plenty of time to critique and guess when this operation is over, but let’s focus on the mission now,” he said.

International leaders have openly criticized Biden’s mismanagement of the pullout. German politician Armin Laschet, Merkel’s alleged heir, described the situation as “the greatest debacle NATO has known since its founding and it is a change of times we are facing.”

Up to 15,000 Americans and 65,000 Afghans seeking special visas in the United States must be evacuated from Hamid Karzai International Airport before Biden’s withdrawal deadline of August 31.

Biden could not confirm those numbers on Friday, but said 5,700 had been mined in the past 24 hours, 13,000 since August 14 and 18,000 since July, despite delays earlier today due to ‘a backlog of transit. He also played down the logistical nightmare of getting to the airport as the Taliban toughen up their checkpoints around the airfield.

“Be clear: any American who wants to go home, we’ll take you home,” Biden said.

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“I cannot promise what the end result will be or that it will be without risk of loss,” he added. “But as Commander-in-Chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize all the necessary resources.”

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