Evacuation from Afghanistan: Biden says he cannot guarantee "the final outcome" of the operation
US President Joe Biden at a White House press conference August 20, 2021 in Washington.
AP - Manuel Balce Ceneta
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Joe Biden said on Friday August 20 that he could not guarantee "
the final outcome
" of the evacuation operation in Kabul, one of the "
most difficult in history
" at the end of a long war twenty years in Afghanistan.
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“
This evacuation mission is dangerous.
It involves risks for our armed forces and is carried out under difficult conditions
, ”said the American president during a speech at the White House, surrounded by his vice-president Kamala Harris, his foreign minister Antony Blinken, the Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, and his senior security adviser Jake Sullivan.
“
I cannot promise what the final outcome will be
,” he admitted.
But as Commander-in-Chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize all possible means.
Only the United States is "
capable
" of carrying out such an operation, among the "
most difficult in history
", "
on the other side of the world with such precision,
" said the American president.
The United States has already evacuated 13,000 people from Afghanistan since August 14, and 18,000 since July, with thousands more evacuated on private flights "
implemented by the American government
," said Joe Biden.
The president assured that his country was committed to evacuating all Afghans who assisted the United States in their operations in Afghanistan during the war.
►
To read also: Afghanistan: for Joe Biden, it was impossible to leave the country without a form of "chaos"
Crebbalance "
not questioned
" by America's allies
Joe Biden has come under fire for the chaotic evacuation scenes in Kabul and the accounts of Afghan departing candidates prevented from reaching the airport by Taliban controls.
We "
are in constant contact with the Taliban, and we are working to ensure that civilians have safe access to the airport,
" said the US president.
He also assured that this chaotic withdrawal did not affect the credibility of the United States on the international scene.
Our allies in the world "
do not question our credibility
", assured the American president.
“
I spoke to our NATO allies
,” he added.
In fact it is the opposite.
"
►
To read also: Afghanistan: Joe Biden facing American public opinion
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