Biden takes responsibility for every decision taken on Afghanistan, says US NSA

Washington [US], August 18 (ANI): US President Joe Biden is taking responsibility for every decision the American government took with respect to Afghanistan, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday, as the war-ravaged country plunged into crisis following Taliban takeover.

Addressing reporters, Sullivan said: “President Biden is taking responsibility for every decision the United States government took with respect to Afghanistan because as he said, the buck stops with him.”

“I am also taking responsibility, and so are my colleagues, the secretary of state, the secretary of defence, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the directors of our intelligence agencies. We as a national security team collectively take responsibility for every decision — good decision, every decision that doesn’t produce perfect outcomes — that is what responsibility is,” Sullivan added.

Afghanistan descended into chaos after the Taliban took control of the capital city, Kabul and the government led by President Ashraf Ghani collapsed.

As the security situation in the country deteriorates, US President Biden was criticised as violence in Afghanistan escalated only after American announced troops withdrawal.

During an address to the nation on Monday, Biden said he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw the US forces from Afghanistan.

“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said in a speech at the White House Monday. “After 20 years, I have learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw.”

He also admitted that the situation in the war-torn country unfolded more quickly than America anticipated.

Biden said he authorised 6,000 US troops to deploy to Afghanistan for the purpose of assisting in the departure of US and allied civilian personnel from Afghanistan, “and to evacuate our Afghan allies and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of Afghanistan”.

He said the US has shut down its embassy and is taking over air traffic control.

Sullivan said that the Biden administration is in contact with the Taliban about the situation in Afghanistan.

“We are engaging diplomatically at the same time with allies in regional countries and the United Nations to address the situation in Afghanistan. We’re in contact with the Taliban to ensure the safe passage of people to the airport.”

Sullivan said that the White House is also monitoring for any potential terrorist threats, including from ISIS.

“We intend to continue these operations over the coming days before completing our drawdown,” he said.

Some more context: Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed at a news conference earlier today that US military commanders have had communication with the Taliban.

“Our commanders in the operation have had communication with Taliban leaders,” he said. (ANI)