President Biden says U.S. may extend Afghanistan withdrawal deadline as evacuations continue.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said there were discussions"among us and the military about extending."Biden pointed to new numbers of evacuees as a contrast to the chaotic scenes at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where thousands of people remain to be airlifted out of the country after the Taliban seized control of vast parts of territory this month.
Biden said the U.S. evacuated about 11,000 people in 30 hours over the weekend. He said about 28,000 U.S. citizens, allies and Afghans have been secured since the Taliban's takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, adding that 33,000 people have been transported since July. "We see no reason why this tempo will not be kept up," he said, referring to the pace of evacuations over the weekend.
But as his handling of the withdrawal has come under criticism from foreign allies and officials in both parties, Biden claimed that there was no way it could have gone any more smoothly. "Let me be clear: The evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul is going to be hard and painful no matter when it started or when we began," he said."Would've been true if we started a month ago or a month from now. There is no way to evacuate this many people without pain and loss and heartbreaking images you see on television. It's just a fact. My heart aches for those people you see. We are proving, though, that we can move thousands of people per day out of Kabul.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden Afghanistan policy counts on war weary Americans to lose interestPresident Joe Biden is brushing off criticism of his administration's chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal because he and his aides believe the political fallout at home will be limited, according to White House allies and administration officials.
Read more »
Biden had a tough week on Afghanistan, here's how he'll get past his PR crisisLanny Davis, a public affairs expert who served under President Bill Clinton told Newsweek that President Joe Biden 'followed the first rule of crisis management, which is: take responsibility and don't deflect.'
Read more »
Afghanistan handling by Joe Biden rated by Americans in CaliforniaLos Angeles dwellers rated President Biden's handling of the troop withdrawal and evacuation in Afghanistan in a series of interviews with Fox News.
Read more »
Trump calls Taliban 'great negotiators, tough fighters' as he knocks Biden over Afghanistan'Vietnam looks like a masterclass in strategy compared to Joe Biden's catastrophe,' the former president said.
Read more »
Lindsey Graham blasts Biden over Afghanistan evacuation: 'He's been wrong about everything''This is an ill-conceived, disjointed, half-assed effort to get American citizens and those who fought for us out of Afghanistan,' Graham said.
Read more »