President Biden Explains Why the US Had to Withdraw from Afghanistan

By Yehudit Garmaise

     While President Joe Biden has been heaped with criticism this week for what is considered a botched handling of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, today, in a press conference, the president explained what he said was his longtime thinking on the US’s mission in the now Taliban-controlled country.

    “Look, let’s put this thing in perspective here,” said President Biden, who said that the estimated costs of the American military engagement in Afghanistan over the last 20 years has cost between a minimum $1 trillion to $2 trillion, which comes out to $150 to $300 million a day, not to mention putting American troops in harm’s way. “What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point with Al Qaeda gone?

     “We went to Afghanistan with the express purpose of getting rid of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, as well as getting Osama bin Ladin, and we did.”

    The president then pointed out that if Bin Laden launched attacks with Al Qaeda from Yemen, the US would have had absolutely no reason to have ever invaded Afghanistan.

     “[Without seeking the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks, would there have been a reason we would be in Afghanistan: controlled by the Taliban?” asked Biden, who pointed out the difficulty of withdrawing from Afghanistan would have been extremely difficult at any time: five or 15 years ago. “What is the national interest of the United States in that circumstance?”

      While Afghanistan did harbor a concentration of terrorists who targeted the US 20 years ago, the president explained that the threat from terrorists has spread to many other diffuse locations.

     “There is a greater danger from Isis and Al Qaeda and all their affiliates in other countries by far, than there is from Afghanistan.”

     Biden then said that the US is going to keep a watch on any potential terrorist cells from home.

   “We are going to retain an over-the-horizon capability if there were ever to come back, to be able to take them out: surgically move,” said Biden, who did not elaborate on his remote approach to security. “We went and did the mission.”

(Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)