War-torn Afghanistan continues to battle with the Taliban after the militant group took control of five provincial capitals in a 72-hour weekend blitz. Despite this, United States President Joe Biden will reportedly not rethink his decision to withdraw American troops and noted that he does not regret doing so.
“Afghan leaders have to come together. They’ve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation,” the president said.
The U.S. troops have been backing the Afghan forces to defend themselves for many years, but this has shifted since Biden made the decision. Biden also told reporters that the United States spent more than a trillion dollars and lost thousands of its troops to train and equip the Afghan military.
Biden’s remarks come after his top aides believe that Kabul will be surrounded or possibly fall under Taliban control in just weeks. Per the latest reports, it is believed that the Taliban control is now at 65 percent over Afghan territory.
Although there was a withdrawal of the U.S. troops, the Biden administration still stressed that they would continue to offer humanitarian aid for the Afghans seeking relief and financial support, and air support for the South Asian country’s military.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki echoed these statements Wednesday. The promise to deliver airstrikes will include -52 bombers and AC-130 gunship. This air support will result in devastating precision firepower in small areas.
In a recent statement, the Biden administration officials also said that the U.S. has better intelligence and is equipped with enhanced capabilities to foil possible future terrorist plots. They believe there is a possibility such plots could emerge from Afghanistan.
However, critics believe that the Biden administration’s move could result in what happened in 2011 after the U.S. withdrew its troops from Iraq. The Islamic State became stronger during that time, and the U.S. had to deploy its troops back to fend off the terrorist group.
