THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I’ve simply met with the Vice President, Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, Nationwide Safety Advisor Sullivan, and different members the nationwide safety management group within the Scenario Room to debate our ongoing efforts to evacuate Americans, third-country civilians, Afghan allies, and weak Afghans. And I need to present the American individuals with a quick replace and the — on the scenario in Afghanistan.
Since I spoke to you on Monday, we have made important progress. We’ve got secured the airport, enabling flights to renew. Not simply navy flights, however civilian charters and different — from different international locations and the NGOs taking out civilians and weak Afghan — weak Afghans.
And now we’ve virtually 6,000 troops on the bottom, together with the 82nd Airborne offering runway safety, the Military tenth Mountain Division standing guard across the airport, and the twenty fourth Marine Expeditionary Unit helping the civilian departure.
This is among the largest, most tough airlifts in historical past. And the one nation on this planet able to projecting this a lot energy on the far facet of the world with this diploma of precision is the US of America.
We have already evacuated greater than 18,000 individuals since July and roughly 13,000 since our navy airlift started on August the 14th. Hundreds extra have been evacuated on personal constitution flights facilitated by the U.S. authorities.
These numbers embody Americans and everlasting residents, in addition to their households. It consists of SIV candidates and their households — these Afghans who’ve labored alongside us, served alongside of us, gone into fight with us, and supplied invaluable help to us, equivalent to translators and interpreters.
America stands by its dedication that we have made to those individuals, and it consists of different weak Afghans, equivalent to girls leaders and journalists.
In truth, working in shut coordination with the administration of the New York Instances, the Washington Submit, and the Wall Road Journal, we’ve efficiently evacuated all 204 of their workers in Afghanistan on U.S. navy plane earlier this week.
We’ve got established the move of flights, and we have elevated the variety of individuals we’re shifting overseas.
We paused flights in Kabul a number of hours this morning to ensure we may course of the coming evacuees on the transit factors, however our commander in Kabul has already given the order for outbound flights to renew.
Even with the pause, we moved out 5,700 evacuees yesterday, and we’re engaged on a range — to confirm that variety of the People which might be nonetheless within the nation as we work on this as a result of we’re not — do not have the precise variety of people who find themselves — People who’re there. And people who might have come house to the US, we’re not — we need to get a robust quantity as to precisely how many individuals are there, what number of Americans, and the place they’re.
Simply yesterday, among the many many People we evacuated, there have been 169 People who, over the — we acquired over the wall into the airport utilizing navy belongings.
We’re additionally facilitating flights for our Allies and our companions, and dealing in shut operational coordination with NATO on this evacuation.
For instance, we supplied overwatch for the French convoy bringing a whole bunch of their individuals from the French embassy to the airport.
These operations are going — are going to proceed over the approaching days earlier than we full our drawdown.
We’ll do all the things — all the things that we are able to to offer secure evacuation for our Afghan allies, companions, and Afghans who may be focused if — due to their affiliation with the US.
However let me be clear, any American who desires to come back house, we’ll get you house.
However make no mistake: This evacuation mission is harmful. It includes dangers to our armed forces, and it’s being carried out underneath tough circumstances.
I can not promise what the ultimate consequence will probably be or what will probably be — that will probably be with out danger of loss. However as Commander-in-Chief, I can guarantee you that I’ll mobilize each useful resource vital.
And as an American, I provide my gratitude to the courageous women and men of the U.S. Armed Forces who’re finishing up this mission. They’re unbelievable.
As we proceed to work the logistics of evacuation, we’re in fixed contact with the Taliban, working to make sure civilians have secure passage to the airport. We’re notably targeted in our engagements on ensuring each American who desires to depart can get to the airport. The place we’ve been — seen challenges with People — for People, we’ve to date been capable of resolve them.
We have been ready — we have made — look, we have made clear to the Taliban that any assault — any assault on our forces or disruption of our operations on the airport will probably be met with a swift and forceful response.
We’re additionally maintaining an in depth watch on any potential terrorist risk at or across the airport, together with from the ISIS associates in Afghanistan who have been launched from jail when the prisons have been emptied. And since they’re, by the best way — to make all people perceive — that the ISIS in Afghanistan are the — have been the sworn enemy of the Taliban.
I’ve stated all alongside: We’ll retain a laser-focus on our counterterrorism mission, working in shut coordination with our allies and our companions and all those that have an curiosity in making certain stability within the area.
Secretary Blinken, who’s with me right this moment, met this morning with our NATO Allies in session about the best way ahead in order that Afghanistan can’t be used as a — sooner or later as a terrorist base of assault — to assault the US or our Allies.
For 20 years, Afghanistan has been a joint effort with our NATO Allies. We went in collectively and we’re leaving collectively, and now we’re working collectively to carry our individuals and our Afghan companions to security.
Previously few days, I’ve additionally spoken straight with the British Prime Minster, Mr. Johnson; Chancellor Merkel of Germany; and President Macron of France.
All of us agreed that we should always convene and we’ll convene the G7 assembly subsequent week — a gaggle of the world’s main democracies — in order that collectively we are able to coordinate our mutual strategy, our united strategy on Afghanistan and shifting ahead.
We’re united with our closest companions to execute the mission at hand.
We have additionally mentioned the necessity to work with the worldwide group to offer humanitarian help, equivalent to meals, assist, and medical look after refugees who’ve crossed into neighboring international locations to flee the Taliban; and to carry worldwide strain on the Taliban with respect to the remedy of Afghan peo- — the Afghan individuals total, however together with Afghan, notably, girls and ladies.
The previous week has been heartbreaking. We’ve seen gut-wrenching photographs of panicked individuals appearing out of sheer desperation. You understand, it’s utterly comprehensible. They’re frightened. They’re unhappy — unsure what occurs subsequent.
I don’t suppose anybody — I do not suppose any one among us can see these footage and never really feel that ache on a human degree.
Now we’ve a mission — a mission to finish in Afghanistan. It’s an extremely tough and harmful operation for our navy.
We’ve got virtually 6,000 of America’s best preventing women and men in Ka- — on the Kabul Airport.
And we’re placing their lives on the road — they’re doing it — in a harmful place to save lots of different People, our Afghan allies, and residents of our al- — our allies who went in with us.
You understand, I — I speak — I speak to our commanders on the bottom there each single day, as I simply did a number of hours — an hour or so in the past. And I made it clear to them that we’ll get them no matter they should do the job. They’re performing to the best commonplace underneath terribly tough and dynamic circumstances.
Our NATO Allies are strongly standing with us — their troops maintaining sentry alongside ours in Kabul.
As is the case each time I deploy our troops into hurt’s manner, I take that accountability severely. I carry that burden daily, simply as I did once I was Vice President and my son was deployed to Iraq for a 12 months.
There’ll be loads of time to criticize and second-guess when this operation is over. However now — now I’m targeted on getting this job executed.
I’d ask each American to hitch me in praying for the men and women risking their lives on the bottom within the service of our nation.
As occasions evolve over the approaching days, my group and I’ll proceed to share the knowledge and replace the American individuals on precisely the place issues are.
We’ll use each useful resource vital to hold out the mission at hand and produce to security Americans and our Afghan allies. That is our focus now.
And when that is completed, we’ll full our navy withdrawal and at last carry to an finish 20 years of American navy motion in Afghanistan.
Thanks, and should God bless you, our troops, our diplomats, and all these serving in hurt’s manner.
And now I’ll take questions. AP, Zeke Miller.
Q Thanks, Mr. President. You vowed that your election would usher in an period the place the world may rely on America to stay as much as its guarantees. You promised to depart Afghanistan, however you additionally promised to not — to assist — to carry out those that helped America in its warfare effort. We’ve seen these heart-wrenching photographs on the Kabul airport of individuals making an attempt to get there, to say nothing of the individuals who can’t get to that airport.
You made the dedication to get American troops out, to get the Americans out. Will you make the identical dedication to those that assisted within the American warfare effort during the last 20 years? Primary.
After which, quantity two: What’s your message to America’s companions around the globe who’ve criticized not the withdrawal, however the conduct of that withdrawal, and made — made them query America’s credibility on the world stage?
THE PRESIDENT: I’ve seen no query of our credibility from our allies around the globe. I’ve spoken with our NATO Allies. We’ve spoken with NATO Allies — the Secretary of State. Our Nationwide Safety Advisor has been involved along with his counterparts all through the world with our Allies, as has the Normal — or, excuse me, I hold calling him a Normal, however my Secretary of Protection.
The very fact of the matter is I’ve not seen that. Matter of truth, the precise reverse I’ve acquired — the precise reverse factor is we’re appearing with dispatch, we’re appearing — committing to what we stated we might do.
Look, let’s put this factor in perspective right here. What curiosity do we’ve in Afghanistan at this level with al Qaeda gone? We went to Afghanistan for the categorical objective of eliminating al Qaeda in Afghanistan, in addition to — in addition to getting Osama bin Laden. And we did.
Think about — simply think about if that assault — if bin Laden had determined, with al Qaeda, to launch an assault from Yemen. Would we ever have gone to Afghanistan? Would there ever be any purpose we would be in Afghanistan — managed by the Taliban? What’s the nationwide curiosity of United States in that circumstance? We went and did the mission. You’ve got identified my place for a protracted, very long time. It is time to finish this warfare.
The estimates of the price of this warfare during the last 20 years ranged from a minimal of $1 trillion to a suppose tank at one of many universities saying $2 trillion. That is someplace between $150 million a day and $300 million a day.
The risk from terrorism has metastasized. There is a higher hazard from ISIS and — and al Qaeda and all these associates in different international locations, by far, than there’s from Afghanistan.
And we will retain an over-the-horizon functionality that in the event that they have been to come back again — to have the ability to take them out, surgically transfer.
So, that is — that is the place we must be. That is about America main the world, and all our allies have agreed with that.
And, by the best way, earlier than I made this determination, I used to be on the G7, in addition to — met with our NATO companions, and I advised all of them. Each one among them knew and agreed with the choice I made to an finish — finish — collectively finish our involvement in Afghanistan.
The primary a part of your query was — I am unable to bear in mind now.
Q It’s: Are — would you decide to the identical dedication — would you make the identical dedication to carry out Afghans who assisted within the warfare effort?
THE PRESIDENT: Sure. Sure. We’re making the identical dedication. There isn’t any another vital than bringing Americans out. I acknowledge that. However they’re equally vital, virtually — is all those that — these “SIVs,” we name them, who, actually, helped us. They have been translators. They went into battle with us. They have been a part of the operation. In addition to — we’re additionally making an attempt to get out as many NGOs — non-governmental organizations — girls’s organizations, et cetera. We’re doing all we are able to.
Within the meantime, Secretary Blinken and I’m going to be working with our Allies to see to it that we are able to carry worldwide strain on the Taliban to be — they’re seeking to acquire some legitimacy. They’ll have to determine how they will preserve that nation.
And there is going to be harsh circumstances we’re — robust situation we’re going to use. And it’ll rely upon whether or not they get assist — primarily based on whether or not or not how and nicely they deal with girls and ladies, how they deal with their residents.
So, that is simply starting on that rating.
Q And are you keen to remain handed the thirty first to make that occur — to carry all of the People out, to carry these SIVs out?
THE PRESIDENT: I feel we are able to get it executed by then, however we will make that judgment as we go.
Now, Justin Sink of Bloomberg.
Q Thanks, Mr. President. You simply stated that you’d hold a laser-focus on counterterrorism efforts and that you do not see as nice of a risk of terrorism from Afghanistan as different components of the world. However for those who and your administration so badly misassessed how shortly the Taliban would sweep via Afghanistan and we not have an embassy there from which to run intelligence operations, how will you in any respect be assured of your evaluation of the chance of terrorism and the power of the U.S. to conduct over-the-horizon missions to maintain it in verify? Are you able to inform People that they are secure and can stay secure from terror assaults in Afghanistan?
THE PRESIDENT: I feel you are evaluating apples and oranges. One query was whether or not or not the Afghan forces we skilled up would keep and battle in their very own civil warfare that they had happening.
Nobody — I should not say “nobody” — the consensus was that it was extremely unlikely that in 11 days they’d collapse and fall, and the chief of Afghanistan would flee the nation.
That is a really totally different query than whether or not or not there’s the power to watch whether or not or not giant teams of terrorists started to build up in a selected space in Afghanistan to plot towards the US of America. That is why we retained an over-the-horizon functionality to go in and do one thing about that if that happens — if that happens.
However within the meantime, we all know what’s taking place around the globe. We all know what’s taking place by way of what is going on on in different international locations, the place there’s the numerous rise of terrorist organizations within the Center East, in East Africa, and different locations.
And so, the underside line is: We’ve got to do — we’re coping with these terrorist threats from different components of the world in failed states with out everlasting navy — with out everlasting navy presence there. We’ve got to do the identical in Afghanistan.
Q And, sir, simply on that preliminary evaluation: We have discovered, during the last 24 hours, that there was a dissent cable from the State Division —
THE PRESIDENT: Positive.
Q — saying that the Taliban would come quicker via Afghanistan. Are you able to say why, after that cable was issued, the U.S. did not do extra to get People out?
THE PRESIDENT: We have all sort of cables, every kind of recommendation. For those who discover, it ranged from this group saying that — they did not say it’d fall when it could fall — when it did fall — however saying that it could fall; to others saying it would not occur for a very long time and so they’d have the ability to maintain themselves via the tip of the 12 months.
I made the choice. The buck stops with me. I took the consensus opinion. The consensus opinion was that, actually, it could not happen, if it occurred, till later within the 12 months. So, it was my determination.
Now, my — I acquired — my subsequent is Stephanie Ramos, ABC.
Q Thanks, Mr. President. Two questions for you. The navy has secured the airport, as you talked about, however will you log off on sending U.S. troops into Kabul to evacuate People who have not been capable of get to the airport safely?
THE PRESIDENT: We’ve got no indication that they have not been capable of get — in Kabul — via the airport. We have made an settlement with the — with the Taliban. To this point, they’ve allowed them to undergo. It is of their curiosity for them to undergo. So, we all know of no circumstance the place Americans are — carrying an American passport — are attempting to get via to the airport. However we’ll do no matter must be executed to see to it they get to the airport.
Thanks.
Q And another, Mr. President. Final month, my colleague Martha Raddatz interviewed Abdul, an interpreter who was on the frontlines with U.S. forces in Afghanistan. In a single day, we acquired a photograph of Taliban militants coming to the door of his house, actually searching him down. Fortunately, he was capable of escape, however he’s clearly nonetheless in mortal hazard. What can be your message to Abdul, his spouse, and his three younger daughters?
THE PRESIDENT: We would like you to have the ability to get to the airport. Contact us. We’ll see no matter we are able to do to get you there. We have to get you out. We’re dedicated to take care of you, your spouse, and your youngster — to get all three of you out of Afghanistan. That is the dedication.
Q Thanks, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Meredith Lee of PBS NewsHour.
Q Thanks, Mr. President. You talked about simply now utilizing each useful resource out there for evacuations. Why have not you ordered the navy to broaden the safety perimeter across the Kabul airport? Do you might have any plans to take action, given that it’ll doubtless require extra U.S. troops? And are you contemplating rescue operations to get better People and Afghan allies caught behind Taliban checkpoints?
THE PRESIDENT: The final reply is sure — to the final query. We’re contemplating each op- — each alternative and each means by which we are able to get people to the airport. That’s primary.
Quantity two, the rationale why we’ve not gone out and began — and arrange a fringe manner exterior the airport in Kabul is that it’s doubtless to attract an terrible lot of unintended penalties by way of individuals who, actually, should not a part of the Taliban.
We’ve been in fixed contact with the Taliban management on the bottom in — in Kabul, in addition to the Taliban management at Daho [Doha], and we’ve been coordinating what we’re doing.
That’s why we have been ready — for instance, how we acquired all of our embassy personnel out, how we acquired everybody out of the embassy safely that was at distance. That’s how we helped get the French out and — out of their embassy.
So, the query stays — there will probably be judgments made on the bottom by the navy commanders in the mean time, and that — I can not second-guess every of these judgments to be made.
However the concept of — once more, let me — let me get again to the basic level I made on the outset. When the choice was made by me that — and it was made a while in the past, once I ran for President saying I wished to get us out of Afghanistan — one of many issues that could be a actuality is individuals now say to me and to others — and so- — lots of you say it on air — that: Why did we’ve to maneuver? As a result of no People are being attacked. Why did we withdraw these — why did we conform to withdraw 2,500 troops? No People have been being attacked.
As I stated earlier than, the rationale they weren’t being attacked was a part of an settlement that Trump had made a 12 months earlier. “We’ll depart by Could 1st,” he stated, “so long as there is no assault on People in that 12 months, interval.” Primary.
Quantity two, the Taliban was taking giant swaths of the countryside, north and south — not one of the main areas, not one of the main factors of the capitals of every of those provinces, however they have been everywhere in the — everywhere in the nation.
And the concept if I had stated on Could the 2nd or third, “We’re not leaving; we’re staying” — does anyone actually imagine that I’d not have needed to put in considerably extra American forces — ship your sons, your daughters — like my son was despatched to Iraq — to perhaps die? And for what? For what?
So the one rational factor to do, for my part, was to arrange and pre-position American forces for the aim of evacuation, and the plane — to pre-position these forward of time in order that we might have the ability to start the method of evacuation of Americans, SIVs, and others who helped us.
The final level I will make is that this: Look, if we had determined 15 years in the past to depart Afghanistan, it could have been actually tough. If we determined 5 years in the past — if we begin — if we continued the warfare for an additional decade and tried to depart, there’s no manner wherein you’d have the ability to depart Afghanistan with out there being a few of what you are seeing now.
However what we have executed to date is we’ve been capable of get numerous People out, all our personnel on the embassy out, and so forth.
And, thank God, to date — knock on wooden — we’re in a unique place.
Scott Detrow. Scott. NPR.
Q Thanks, Mr. President. I simply need to comply with up on one thing you stated a second in the past. You stated that there is no circumstances the place Americans can not get to the airport. That does not actually sq. with the pictures we’re seeing across the airport and with the reporting on the bottom from our colleagues who’re describing chaos and violence. Are you saying unequivocally that any American who desires to get to the airport is getting there and getting previous the safety barrier and to the planes the place they need to go?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I believed the query was: How can they get via to the airport exterior the airport? And the reply is: To the perfect of our information, the Taliban checkpoints — they’re letting via individuals exhibiting American passports.
Now, that is a unique query after they get into the push and crowd of all the parents simply exterior the wall close to the airport. That is why we needed to, I assume, ye- — was it yesterday or the day earlier than? — we went over the wall and introduced in — what number of?
MR. SULLIVAN: 100 and sixty-nine.
THE PRESIDENT: 100 and sixty-nine People. So, it’s a course of to strive to determine how we — how we take care of the mad rush of non-People — those that did not assist, those that should not on a precedence listing — simply any Afghan — any Afghan to have the ability to get overseas.
And so my guess is that, it doesn’t matter what, underneath what circumstances we — anybody — there’s not a complete lot of Afghanis — there’s a complete lot of Afghanis that simply as quickly come to America, whether or not there have been any involvement with the US prior to now in any respect, moderately than keep underneath Taliban rule or any — any rule.
So, what I used to be saying is that we’ve an settlement that they’ll let go via the checkpoints that they — the Taliban — management. They’ve let People via.
Q However given this — given the negotiations with the Taliban, the scenes that we’re seeing, are you able to simply totally clarify why the plan wasn’t to go forward with these evacuations of each People and allies earlier than the drawdowns started, earlier than Bagram was closed, wanting again a number of months? As a result of whether or not it was now or a number of months from now, there appears to be a broad consensus that the Taliban would make these positive factors and these can be wanted sooner or later.
THE PRESIDENT: Nicely, yeah, sooner or later. However the level was that though we have been involved with the Taliban and Doha for this complete time period, that “some level” wasn’t anticipated to be the overall demise of the Afghan Nationwide Drive, which was 300 [thousand] individuals.
Let’s assume the Afghan Nationwide Drive had continued to battle and ha- — and so they have been surrounding Kabul. It would be a really totally different story. Very totally different story.
However the con- — overwhelming consensus was that they — this was not — they weren’t going to break down. The Afghan forces, they weren’t going to depart. They weren’t going to only abandon after which put down their arms and take off. So, that is what’s occurred.
Thanks very, very a lot. Thanks.
2:17 P.M. EDT
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