JRT POST

• The Taliban welcomed Biden’s speech.
• Biden said that US troops will withdraw from Afghanistan before August 31.
• Biden said: “I will not send another generation of Americans to Afghanistan to fight.”

U.S. President Joe Biden defended the U.S. decision to leave Afghanistan on Thursday, refusing to believe that Afghanistan’s degeneration to the Taliban was “inevitable.”

However, the President of the United States did admit that a unified Afghan government is “very unlikely” to control most of the territory. His remarks come as American and foreign troops are withdrawing from Afghanistan, and the Taliban are occupying key areas of the country every day.

In a speech at the White House, Biden said that the U.S. military had “achieved” its goal in Afghanistan-to kill Osama bin Laden, to belittle Al Qaeda, and to prevent more attacks on the United States.

“We are ending the longest war in the United States,” he said, stating that the withdrawal will be completed by August 31—before his original September 11 deadline. The Pentagon stated that 90% of the withdrawal has been completed.

“The status quo is not an option,” Biden said of staying in the country. “I will not send another generation of Americans to fight in Afghanistan.”

“The United States cannot be subject to policies designed to deal with the world as it was 20 years ago,” he said. “We need to deal with today’s threats.”

Biden stated that the United States “is not going to Afghanistan for nation-building,” and only the Afghan people can determine their future.

But he acknowledged the uncertainty of what the future will look like.

When asked whether the Taliban acquisition was “inevitable,” the president said: “No, it’s not.”

The Taliban claim to occupy more than 100 of the country’s nearly 400 regions.

“The Afghan government…must unite,” Biden said. “They obviously have the ability to keep the government in place. The question is, will they have that kind of cohesion to do this?”

He expressed his belief that the Afghan army has been trained by the United States for many years and obtained equipment from the United States to fight the resurgent Taliban.

“I don’t believe in the Taliban,” Biden said, “but I believe in the capabilities of the Afghan army.”

He flatly refused to compare with the American experience in Vietnam.

“The Taliban are not the North Vietnamese army,” Biden said. “In terms of ability, they cannot be compared.”

He added: “Under no circumstances will you see people being lifted from Afghanistan from the roof of the US Embassy.” “There is no comparison at all.”

As far as the Taliban are concerned, they welcomed Biden’s statement.

“Any day or hour that the U.S. and foreign troops leave early is a positive step,” spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told AFP.

‘The scared person’

Biden’s speech came as fighting in the capital of Afghanistan’s Badghis province was fierce for the second day in a row. Horrified residents either fled or locked themselves in.

Since the United States has stepped up its troop withdrawal, the Taliban has launched a fierce campaign to seize new territories. People are increasingly worried that the Afghan army will collapse without important US air support.

When insurgents and hundreds of Afghan commandos arrived in the city overnight, thick smoke billowed over Qala-i-Naw, accompanied by gunfire.

Aziz Tawakoli, a resident of Qala-i-Naw, said Taliban militants are still roaming the city.

“You can see them walking up and down the street on motorcycles,” he said.

Badghis Health Officer Abdul Latif Rostaee said that since the fighting broke out, at least 10 civilians have been taken to the hospital.

“Our security forces are fighting bravely against them, and the enemy is being repelled,” Badghis Governor Hesamuddin Shams told AFP on Thursday.

But Zia Gul Habibi, a member of the Badghis Provincial Assembly, said that the Taliban had surrounded the city.

“All areas are under their control…people are really scared,” she said. For a long time, Afghan civilians have paid a huge price in the fighting.

President Ashraf Ghani said that the government can handle this situation, but acknowledged the difficulties.

He said in a speech in Kabul: “What we have witnessed is one of the most complicated stages in the transition process.”

“The legitimacy is ours; God is with us.”

Taliban victory?

In London, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that most British troops have left Afghanistan as part of NATO’s withdrawal at the same time as the United States’ withdrawal.

At the same time, the Taliban seem eager to achieve a full military victory.

After months of stalemate, the supposed peace talks between the rebels and the Doha government basically ended in failure. Since the beginning of May, the Taliban have occupied dozens of new areas.

On Thursday, Shaheen, a member of the Doha negotiating team, insisted that the insurgents were still seeking a “negotiated settlement.”

“We don’t believe in power monopolies,” he told AFP.

Human Rights Watch stated that the insurgents forced people to leave their homes in the northern regions they occupied.

Biden promised to continue to support the Afghan government and security forces, and said that thousands of Afghan translators working for the US military will be able to take refuge in the United States.

“If you want, have your home in America,” he said. “We will stand with you, just as you stand with us.”