President Joe Biden announced during a speech at the White House yesterday that the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan would officially end on Aug. 31. In a morbid characterization by some as a “mission accomplished” moment, Biden claimed that the mission is complete because Osama bin Laden is dead and al Qaeda has been defeated in Afghanistan. “We did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build. And it’s the right and the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country,” he said.
Biden expressed confidence that the Afghan security forces are now capable enough to defend the country. “Together, with our NATO Allies and partners, we have trained and equipped nearly 300,000 current serving members of the military,” and many more beyond that, he said. “We provided our Afghan partners with all the tools — let me emphasize: all the tools, training, and equipment of any modern military.”
“But most critically, as I stressed in my meeting just two weeks ago with President Ghani and Chairman Abdullah, Afghan leaders have to come together and drive toward a future that the Afghan people want and they deserve,” Biden stressed. “I intend to maintain our diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, and we are coordinating closely with our international partners in order to continue to secure the international airport.”
