President Joe Biden said he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan and that its government's collapse was quicker than anticipated.

Speaking about the chaotic situation in Afghanistan, Biden said that he faced a choice between an agreement to withdraw US forces or send thousands more US troops back in for a “third decade” of war.

Striking a defiant tone, the US president said he will not repeat the mistakes of the past.

He said he'd rather take the criticism over the fallout in Afghanistan than leave the decision to another president. He said the decision to leave Afghanistan is “the right one for America".

The president said in his remarks at the White House: “The truth is this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.”

Afghanistan erupted into disarray as the Taliban swept across the country in recent days, taking the capital of Kabul this weekend as the United States has been attempting to withdraw its forces, diplomats, allies and Afghans who worked with the coalition over the course of the 20 year war.

Yet the president says that the rapid end of the Afghan government only vindicates his choice to end the war.

Biden said: “American troops cannot and should not be fighting the war, and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.”

“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said in the televised address to the nation from the White House East Room. “After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces.”

Biden spoke after the planned withdrawal of American forces turned deadly at Kabul's airport as thousands tried to flee following the Taliban's swift takeover of the government.

The planned withdrawal of American forces turned deadly at Kabul’s airport as thousands tried to flee the country after the Taliban’s takeover.

Biden returned to the White House Monday afternoon from the Camp David presidential retreat. These were his first public remarks on the Afghanistan situation in nearly a week. Biden and other top US officials had been stunned by the pace of the Taliban’s swift routing of the Afghan military.

Senior US military officials say the chaos at the airport left seven people dead Monday, including some who fell from a departing American military transport jet. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss ongoing operations.