President Biden, in remarks on Friday, vowed to evacuate all Americans out of Afghanistan and defended his administration from criticisms over the withdrawal.But in doing so, he made several misleading or false claims about the pullout and evacuation, which have been chaotic as Americans and tens of thousands of Afghan allies try to flee through the airport in Kabul.Here’s a fact-check of the president’s remarks.What Mr. Biden said“I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world.”This is misleading. While leaders of countries allied with the United States have been hesitant to publicly criticize the withdrawal, some members of their governments have not minced words in questioning American leadership and credibility.In Germany, the chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee called the withdrawal “a serious and far-reaching miscalculation by the current administration” and said it did “fundamental damage to the political and moral credibility of the West.” Armin Laschet, the head of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Conservative Party and a candidate in the election to succeed her, called it the “biggest debacle” that NATO had ever seen. Ms. Merkel also criticized it privately, according to German news media reports.In Britain, the pullout has raised doubts among some officials about the reliability of the United States as an ally. Tom Tugendhat, a Conservative member of Parliament and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, characterized it the “biggest foreign policy disaster” since the 1956 Suez crisis, saying that “we need to think again about how we handle friends, who matters and how we defend our interests.”Latvia’s defense minister, Artis Pabriks, said that the withdrawal caused “chaos” and showed that the West was “weaker globally.”What Mr. Biden said“What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point with Al Qaeda gone? We went to Afghanistan for the express purpose of getting rid of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan as well as, as well as getting Osama bin Laden, and we did.”False. Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan has certainly been reduced since the United States invaded, but Mr. Biden is wrong to say that the terrorist group is no longer in the country.A United Nations Security Council report released in June estimated that Al Qaeda still had a presence in at least 15 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. The Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General said in a report released on Wednesday that “the Taliban continued to maintain its relationship with Al Qaeda, providing safe haven for the terrorist group in Afghanistan.”Taliban Takeover in AfghanistanLatest Updates
Updated Aug. 20, 2021, 6:21 p.m. ETRisking retaliation, an Afghan woman uses the national flag to protest the Taliban.A baby passed over a wall in Kabul has been reunited with family, the military says.With a base in Qatar overwhelmed, U.S. flights are shifting to other countries.After Mr. Biden spoke, John F. Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, confirmed in a news conference that Al Qaeda had a presence in Afghanistan.What Mr. Biden said“We have no indication that they haven’t been able to get — in Kabul — through the airport. We’ve made an agreement with the, with the Taliban. Thus far, they’ve allowed them to go through. It’s in their interest for them to go through. So, we know of no circumstance where American citizens are — carrying an American passport — are trying to get through to the airport.”This is misleading. Reports from Afghanistan contradict this statement, and other government officials have been more cautious when describing the conditions for American citizens traveling to the airport.Understand the Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan
Card 1 of 5Who are the Taliban?The Taliban arose in 1994 amid the turmoil that came after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. They used brutal public punishments, including floggings, amputations and mass executions, to enforce their rules. Here’s more on their origin story and their record as rulers.Who are the Taliban leaders?These are the top leaders of the Taliban, men who have spent years on the run, in hiding, in jail and dodging American drones. Little is known about them or how they plan to govern, including whether they will be as tolerant as they claim to be.How did the Taliban gain control?See how the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in a few months, and read about how their strategy enabled them to do so.What happens to the women of Afghanistan?The last time the Taliban were in power, they barred women and girls from taking most jobs or going to school. Afghan women have made many gains since the Taliban were toppled, but now they fear that ground may beBy: Linda Qiu
Title: Biden’s Inaccurate Claims in Defending Afghanistan Withdrawal
Sourced From: www.nytimes.com/2021/08/20/us/politics/biden-afghanistan-fact-check.html
Published Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2021 23:15:07 +0000
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