Biden Has No Regrets
United States President Joe Biden asserts that the withdrawal from Afghanistan will go according to plan, and State Department says the previous administration made a decision that was "not in the cards."
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The president.
Joe Biden stands his ground on the United States' decision to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan.
The United States President said Tuesday, "I do not regret my decision" when asked if the Biden administration's withdrawal has changed, taking the Taliban's latest offenses and advances into account.
"We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces. And Afghan leaders have to come together," he added.
He stressed that the US plan remains unchanged as they 'only' provide air support to the Afghan government forces, saying they "have outnumbered the Taliban."
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki clarified that President Biden believes that it is "not inevitable" that the Taliban takes over Kabul or the country, saying they need to show political will at this point to push back.
"Our view and the President’s view is that now is the time for them to utilize the training, the assistance, the security guidance that they have been provided over the last two decades to push back against the Taliban," Psaki added.
Furthermore, Ned Price, the United States spokesman for the Department of State, said the Trump administration made a deal with the Taliban - referring to the February 2020 Doha agreement - that was "not in the cards."
According to Price, by this deal, "If our forces remain there in great numbers after May 1, they could again have become targets of violence."
A European Union official said Tuesday night that Taliban fighters have captured 65% of Afghanistan so far after a series of surprise advances.
The Taliban movement has captured five out of the nine northern provinces, while the fighting continues in the other four.
In response to the Taliban's rapid advances, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani decided to arm civilians, enlisting the help of regional militias "to rise in defense of the government."
