He also pushed back against criticism that the U.S. should have done more to plan for the evacuation and withdrawal, which has been marked by scenes of violence and chaos as thousands attempted to flee while the Taliban advanced.
There is uncertainty about the future of leadership in Afghanistan, once again, signaling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's embattled president left the country Sunday, joining his fellow citizens and foreigners in a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signaling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan.
“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.
US troops will also help in evacuation of Afghans who worked with the military during the nearly two-decade war.
The US has already pulled back most of its forces from Afghanistan and is looking to complete the drawdown by Aug 31, ending nearly two-decade of its military presence in the country.
President Joe Biden has ordered the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11.
I don't think the end game is yet written. A negative outcome, a Taliban automatic takeover, is not a foregone conclusion. While the militants are yet to capture any of the country's 34 provincial capitals, they are pressuring about half of them, said Top US General Milley.
Amid the confusion, hundreds of Haitians gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince pleading for a way out of the country. Women carried babies and young men waved passports and ID cards as they cried out, “Refuge!” and “Help!”
Haiti’s interim government said Friday that it asked the U.S. to deploy troops to protect key infrastructure as it tries to stabilize the country.
When asked by reporters at the White House whether the US will complete withdrawal in the next few days, Biden replied, "No, we're on track exactly as to where we expect it to be."
The officials were not authorized to discuss details of the withdrawal and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The rockets struck Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar province at 7:20 a.m., coalition spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto said. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani, who spoke earlier, said that terrorism continues despite Taliban's assurances to break away from Al-Qaeda and other terror groups.
US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper confirmed that US troops in Afghanistan would be reduced to less than 5,000 by the end of November.
President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, multiple media reports said.
After Pentagon said that almost 50 US servicemen suffered brain injuries in Iran rocket strike earlier in January, it belies President Donald Trump’s initial claim that no Americans were harmed.
Iranian state media has claimed that at least '80 terrorist US soldiers' were killed in the missile strikes at Iraqi bases housing US troops. The strike was in retaliation to the killing of Iran's top general Qasem Soleimani in a US airstrike.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards has asked US to 'recall troops' from Iraq hours after Iran strike back with ballistic missiles at US troops housing at Iraq bases, taking revenge for killing its top general Qassem Soleimani.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday that President Donald Trump had directed U.S. troops in northern Syria to begin pulling out “as safely and quickly as possible.” He did not say Trump ordered troops to leave Syria, but that seemed like the next step in a combat zone growing more unstable by the hour.
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