Biden says troops will stay in Afghanistan for as long as it takes to evacuate all US civilians
Joe Biden has said American troops will stay in Afghanistan until all remaining US citizens —and citizens of American allies — are evacuated from the country after receiving criticism for the chaotic withdrawal of US forces.
In an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday, Mr Biden said there was no way of avoiding “chaos” by leaving Afghanistan, and that he was committed to evacuating Americans and US allies out before the deadline of 31 August, but that if any US citizens were still in the country, his forces would “stay till we get them all out."
It follows criticism of the US for failing to evacuate Americans — believed in the be in the region of 10,000 - 15,000 — before the fall of Kabul on Sunday to the Taliban. A further 50,000 - 65,000 Afghans and their families are also awaiting airlifts, fearing reprisal from the Taliban.
A spokesperson for the group said this week it was committed to not attacking US troops, who are currently based at the international airport in Kabul, but that it wanted the US to withdraw by 31 August, which was agreed.
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