US for an “orderly and protected drawdown” of American and allied personnel, because the Taliban insurgents moved nearer to retaking full management of the war-torn nation.
Biden’s authorisation of 5,000 troops in his assertion on Saturday included 1,000 who’re already on the bottom in Afghanistan, in line with a defence official. A battalion of 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division had been redirected to Kabul, as an alternative of their authentic standby place in Kuwait.The Pentagon had beforehand introduced 3,000 further troops had been on their means, the defence official mentioned.Biden introduced the recent deployment after he and Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday held a safe video convention with the nationwide safety crew to debate the continued efforts to attract down American civilian footprint in Afghanistan and monitor the evolving safety state of affairs.“Based on the recommendations of our diplomatic, military, and intelligence teams, I have authorised the deployment of approximately 5,000 US troops to make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of US personnel and other allied personnel and an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance,” Biden mentioned in a press release.Biden’s assertion got here hours earlier than the Taliban on Sunday seized the final main metropolis exterior of Kabul held by the nation’s central authorities, reducing off the capital to the east.The collapse of Jalalabad leaves Afghanistan’s central authorities in charge of simply Kabul and 6 different provincial capitals in a foreign country’s 34.Biden formally introduced in July that US troops would totally withdraw from Afghanistan by August 31. He has remained steadfast in his determination to withdraw, telling reporters earlier this week that he didn’t remorse it, and it was time for Afghans to “fight for themselves.”The US President as soon as once more dominated out any change in his plans to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan and on Saturday mentioned he wouldn’t cross the US struggle in Afghanistan over to a fifth president.“I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan, two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth,” he said.He also defended his decision to escalate the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying he could not justify an “endless American presence in the middle of another country’s civil conflict”.“Over our nation’s 20 years at struggle in Afghanistan, America has despatched its most interesting younger women and men, invested practically USD1 trillion {dollars}, educated over 300,000 Afghan troopers and police, outfitted them with state-of-the-art navy gear, and maintained their air pressure as a part of the longest struggle in U.S. historical past.“One extra 12 months, or 5 extra years, of U.S. navy presence, wouldn’t have made a distinction if the Afghan navy can’t or is not going to maintain its personal nation,” Biden said in his statement.Biden said he has ordered armed forces and the intelligence community to ensure that the US maintains the capability and the vigilance to address future terrorist threats from Afghanistan.The President said has also directed the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to support Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan leaders as they seek to prevent further bloodshed and pursue a political settlement.Soon thereafter Secretary of Blinken spoke today with Ghani about developments in Afghanistan.“They discussed the urgency of ongoing diplomatic and political efforts to reduce the violence,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said.Blinken also emphasised the United States’ commitment to a strong diplomatic and security relationship with the Government of Afghanistan and our continuing support for the people of Afghanistan, Price said.Biden in his statement said that Blinken will also engage with key regional stakeholders.“We have conveyed to the Taliban representatives in Doha, via our Combatant Commander, that any action on their part on the ground in Afghanistan, that puts US personnel or our mission at risk there, will be met with a swift and strong US military response,” said the President.Biden said he has placed Ambassador Tracey Jacobson in charge of a whole of the government effort to process, transport, and relocate Afghan special immigrant visa applicants and other Afghan allies.Biden, a Democrat, pointed out that when he assumed office in January this year, he inherited a deal cut by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021, deadline on US forces.Shortly before Trump left office, he also drew US forces down to a bare minimum of 2,500.“Therefore, when I became President, I faced a choice, follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our Forces and our allies” Forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country’s civil conflict,” Biden said.Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump has slammed his successor Biden and accused him of completely failing on the Afghan policy by following incoherent decisions.“The Taliban no longer has fear or respect for America or America’s power. What a disgrace it will be when the Taliban raises their flag over America’s Embassy in Kabul. This is a complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence,” Trump said in a statement.“Everyone knew he couldn’t handle the pressure,” Trump mentioned.“He ran out of Afghanistan as an alternative of following the plan our Administration left for a him-a a plan that protected our individuals and our property and ensured the Taliban would by no means dream of taking our Embassy or offering a base for brand spanking new assaults in opposition to America. The withdrawal could be guided by details on the bottom,” Trump mentioned. “After I took out ISIS, I established a credible deterrent. That deterrent is now gone,” he mentioned.Also learn: Poisonous propaganda: Taliban says claims of women being forcefully married to its fighters ‘baseless’Also learn: How wealthy is the Taliban? And the place does their cash come from?