US Prez Joe Biden defends troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, says 'commitment honoured'

US President Joe Biden strongly defended his country's exit from Afghanistan in less than 24 hours after the last US military flight left Kabul. Biden said it was the “right decision” to terminate the US' 20-year military involvement in Afghanistan. Speaking from the White House on Tuesday, the US President said that putting US soldiers in control of the Afghan capital's airport past the 31 August withdrawal date would have exposed them to increased security risks.

'Right, Wise and Best Decision': Biden

Saying that the war in Afghanistan is now over, the US President expressed that the commitment he made to Americans has been honoured. 

Biden said, "I believe this is the 'right decision, wise decision and the best decision'. The war in Afghanistan is now over. I am the fourth president to have faced this issue on how to end this war... I made a commitment to Americans to end this war, I honoured it." 

President Biden defended his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, saying it was in the best interests of the United States. "We no longer had a clear purpose in an open-ended campaign in Afghanistan," he remarked a day after the pullout was completed.

"Leaving on 31 August is not due to an arbitrary deadline, it was designed to save American lives, my predecessor, former President had signed an agreement with the Taliban to remove US troops by May 1," President Biden added.

Biden highlighted his predecessor Donald Trump's agreement with the Taliban as the reason for the withdrawal but accepted responsibility for the final decision to withdraw all US forces from the nation. He said, "Leaving on 31 August is not due to an arbitrary deadline, it was designed to save American lives, my predecessor, former President had signed an agreement with the Taliban to remove US troops by 1 May."

Biden's warning to ISIS-K

The US President warned the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), which killed 13 US servicemen in a suicide bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, that they will face additional retaliation from Washington.

He had said, "We will maintain the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and other countries and to ISIS-K: We are not done with you yet," adding, "Let me say it clearly to those who wish America harm or to those who engage in terrorism against us or allies, United States will never rest. We will not forgive, not forget. We will hunt you down and you will pay the ultimate price." 

(With inputs from AP/ANI, Image: AP)