Biden increases US evacuation deployment to Afghanistan, warns Taliban

By AFP 14 August 2021, 11:57 pm

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US President Joe Biden on Saturday increased the number of American troops being sent to Afghanistan to help evacuate embassy personnel and Afghan civilians, and warned the Taliban, who were headed for Kabul, not to hinder the mission.

After consultations with his national security team, Biden said a total of “approximately 5,000” US soldiers — up from 3,000 — will now be deployed to organize evacuations and the end of the US mission after 20 years on the ground.

Biden again defended his decision to withdraw the US military from Afghanistan, saying: “I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan — two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.”