Biden says he stands 'squarely behind' Afghanistan decision

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday, said he stood "squarely behind" his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, arguing that the rapid fall of the U.S.-backed Afghan government to Taliban insurgents demonstrated "there was never a good time to withdraw."

"American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves," Biden said in a speech from the East Room of the White House.

Biden returned to the White House from Camp David on Monday to address the mounting criticism to his administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. As scenes of Afghans clamoring for help at Kabul’s main airport continued to play out, Biden pledged to continue working to evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghan citizens who aided Americans as interpreters and workers.

"I've been clear, human rights must be the center of our foreign policy — not the periphery," Biden said. "But the way to do it is not through endless military deployments."

The president, who campaigned on the promise of pulling out U.S. forces from the nearly 20-year operation in Afghanistan, reiterated his position that it was time to leave because the United States had met its initial objective of quashing the threat of al-Qaida following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"I’m now the fourth American president to preside over war in Afghanistan, two Democrats and two Republicans, I will not pass this responsibility down to a fifth president," Biden said. "I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference. Nor will I shrink from my share of responsibility for where we are today, and how we must move forward from here. I am President of the United States of America. The buck stops with me."

Biden, who last week pushed back against the prospect of the Afghan government falling to the Taliban, acknowledged Monday that the Taliban takeover "did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated."

"We provided close air support," Biden said of U.S. support for the Afghan military. "We gave them every chance to determine their own future. We could not provide them with the will to fight for that future."

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, appearing on NBC’s "Today" show earlier in the day said "it's certainly the case that the speed with which cities fell was much greater than anyone anticipated, including the Afghans."

"Despite the fact that we spent 20 years and tens of billions of dollars to give the best equipment, the best training and the best capacity to the Afghan national security forces, we could not give them the will, and they ultimately decided that they would not fight for Kabul and they would not fight for the country," Sullivan said.

The president, who has faced criticism from Republican lawmakers over the execution of the withdrawal, noted that he inherited a deal brokered between the Trump administration and the Taliban that called for a complete U.S. withdrawal by May 1. Upon taking office, Biden delayed that time table, instead announcing the United States would pull out by Sept. 11. Last month, the United States started pulling American forces from the country, vacating the Bagram Air Base that long served as a hub for U.S. and NATO forces.

Former President Donald Trump in a statement took aim at his successor, saying: "The outcome in Afghanistan, including the withdrawal, would have been totally different if the Trump administration had been in charge."

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in a statement called the current situation in Afghanistan "an unmitigated disaster."

Biden, responding to criticism that the United States did not move swiftly enough to evacuate Afghan citizens who aided the military and international organizations as translators and workers, blamed part of the delay on the Afghan government, saying officials "discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, a ‘crisis of confidence.’ "

As media outlets and humanitarian organizations continued to implore the Biden administration to aid with the evacuation of the Afghan citizens who aided Americans and Europeans, Biden vowed to maintain a military presence at the Kabul airport to assist with the effort.

"We've made it clear to the Taliban, if they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation … the response will be swift and forceful … we will defend our people with devastating force if necessary," Biden said.

Some advocates working to aid Afghan refugees pushed back at Biden’s defense. James Miervaldis, chairman of the group No One Left Behind, told CBS News: "We adamantly disagree with the President’s assertion that some of those Afghans seeking exit visas wanted to stay in Afghanistan."

Biden ended his remarks without taking questions from reporters, and returned to Camp David, where he was previously scheduled to spend his summer recess.