Rome, August 20, 2021 – “You have the Taliban, we said it: to any attack on our soldiers, obstacles to evacuation or terrorist threats in the airport area, there will be an immediate reply“. These are the words of the president of the United States Joe Biden, returned today to speak from the White House to the American nation on the situation in Afghanistan after the reconquest of Kabul by the Taliban. The evacuation operation from Kabul is “one of the most difficult in history,” Biden added, stating that cannot guarantee “the final outcome” of this risky operation.
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Since August 14, the US has evacuated about 13,000 people from Afghanistan, as well as facilitating other charter flights, while they are deployed on land.or nearly 6,000 American soldiers. The president later admitted that the United States they don’t know exactly how many Americans shave remained in Afghanistan or where they are. “The United States is the only country in the world that can organize such an evacuation and will honor their commitments,” said President Biden. We will do everything possible to conclude a safe evacuation for all Americans who want to and Afghan allies who could be targets for their association with the United States. We will take you home, there will be no mistakes, this evacuation is dangerous, there are risks, but I will mobilize all the necessary resources“.
The US president reiterated that he was clear with the Taliban: “Any attack on the evacuation operations at Kabul airport will have an immediate response. constant contact with the Taliban, to ensure the safety of Americans and civilians. Since I spoke on Monday, much progress has been made, we have secured the airport and resumed not only military but also civilian and NGO flights. But – said Biden – I cannot guarantee the outcome of the entire evacuation plan “.
“There is no doubt about my credibility on the part of NATO allies, I am all lined up“, the president of the United States continued, recalling that” we arrived together with the allies, we will leave Afghanistan together. “On the decision to withdraw the troops, an operation which should be completed by August 31, Biden confirmed that it was taken following expert opinion. On the revelations of the Wall Street Journal, according to which he received an internal memo of the State Department warning of the speed of the Taliban offensive and the fall of the country into their hands, the president replied that “we had every kind of cable, all kinds of warnings. But a collapse in 11 days was considered highly unlikely – he said – I made the decision, the responsibility ends with me“.
On the question of being able to arrive at a possible international recognition of the Taliban, Biden said they “will have to comply harsh conditions and it will depend on how they treat women and girls and how they treat
their citizens. “The president confirms that” next week we have a G7 agreed to coordinate the efforts of the major democracies “, adding that he spoke on the phone with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.” We are all united “, he stressed.
In conclusion, the American president added that “there will be time to criticize, but now I’m focused on getting this job done. We will use every resource to rescue our fellow citizens and Afghan allies and when we do we will complete the withdrawal“from Afghanistan.
Just before midnight (Italian time) the premier Mario Draghi he overheard President Biden on the phone. The interview – explains a note from Palazzo Chigi – focused on the latest developments and the implications of the Afghan crisis, in particular the evacuation of compatriots and vulnerable Afghan citizens, the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, humanitarian assistance for the population. The perspectives of the action of the international community in the various contexts were also discussed, starting from G7 and G20, in favor of the stability and development of Afghanistan.
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