Biden to speak on Afghanistan exit as critics accuse Americans of leaving Americans behind

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President Biden will address the nation on Tuesday on his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by August 31. The last American troops left Afghanistan on Monday, ending the United States’ longest war.

He is scheduled to speak at 2:45 p.m. ET.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden will thank commanders and military personnel who helped evacuate more than 124,000 people from Afghanistan as well as “exposing his decision to end the war in Afghanistan after 20 years, including the difficult decisions he has made in the seven months since he took office to end the war. ”

The president, Psaki said, will make it clear that “he will approach our foreign policy through the prism of what is in our national interest, including how best to continue to ensure the safety of the American people.”

The withdrawal from Afghanistan has been anything but smooth. Thirteen US servicemen and about 170 Afghans were killed by a suicide bomber at a gate of Kabul airport last week. In response, a US drone strike targeted suspected ISIS-K militants; the group claimed responsibility for the attack. Now, the US military says it is examining reports that up to 10 civilians were killed when the United States carried out another strike on a vehicle near the airport on Sunday.

In a statement released on Monday, Biden noted that the U.S. military had unanimously recommended ending the airlift mission as planned.

“Their point of view was that ending our military mission was the best way to protect the lives of our troops and ensure the prospects of civilians leaving for those who wish to leave Afghanistan in the weeks and months to come.” , Biden said.

The United States evacuated some 5,400 Americans from Afghanistan over the past month.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Monday that there were fewer than 200 American citizens left in the country and that the United States “would continue its relentless efforts to help Americans, foreign nationals and Afghans leave Afghanistan, if they wish “.

Biden slammed for withdrawing US troops before all Americans left

Sen Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Said in a statement, “The president has made the morally indefensible decision to leave the Americans behind. Dishonor was the president’s choice. Let history never forget this cowardice.”

The comment largely reflects the criticism Biden faced from Republicans and Democrats over how the pullout was carried out.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a statement Monday evening thanking “everyone who has worked so hard and under such difficult circumstances over the past few weeks.”

Austin noted the record of two decades of military presence in Afghanistan. “We have lost 2,461 soldiers in this war, and tens of thousands more suffered injuries, visible and invisible,” he said.

“Battle scars don’t heal easily, and often never heal at all.”

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