President Joe Biden on his plans for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan

Описание: President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his plans for withdrawing from Afghanistan, following nearly 20 years of war in the country. We went to war with clear objectives and we achieved those goals, he said. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he will withdraw U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan by September 11, ending America’s role in what has become its longest war.

The removal of approximately 3,000 American servicemembers coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks which spurred America’s entry into lengthy wars in the Middle East and Central Asia.

“It is time to end America’s longest war,” Biden said. “It is time for American troops to come home.”

“I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth,” Biden said, adding that the U.S. mission would be solely dedicated to providing assistance to Afghanistan and supporting diplomacy.

During his address, Biden invoked the military service of his own son — Beau Biden, who deployed to Iraq for a year and later died of cancer in 2015. He is the first president in 40 years to have a child serve in the U.S. military and serve in a war zone.

The president said the U.S. achieved its objectives a decade ago when it killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda — the terrorist group that launched the Sept. 11 attacks. The U.S. reasons for remaining in Afghanistan have become unclear as the terrorist threat has dispersed across the globe, Biden said.

“With the terror threat now in many places, keeping thousands of troops grounded and concentrated in just one country, at a cost of billions each year, makes little sense to me, and to our leaders,” Biden said. “We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal and expecting a different result.”

Biden said that he coordinated his decision with international partners and allies as well as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and former President George W. Bush. The withdrawal of U.S. troops will begin on May 1. Following his remarks, Biden said he would visit Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a statement following Biden’s speech, former President Barack Obama said that the United States had “accomplished all that we can militarily and that it’s time to bring our remaining troops home.”

Ghani said he respects the U.S. decision to withdraw its forces and Afghanistan’s military is “fully capable of defending its people and country.”

Biden warned the Taliban that the U.S. would defend itself and its partners from attack as it draws down its forces over the coming months. The president said the U.S. would reorganize its counterterrorism capabilities and assets in the region to prevent the emergence of another terrorist threat.

“My team is refining our national strategy to monitor and disrupt significant terrorist threats, not only in Afghanistan, but anywhere they may arise, and they’re in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere,” Biden said.

However, CIA Director William Burns acknowledged in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday that Washington’s ability to act on threats emanating from Afghanistan will be diminished by the U.S. withdrawal. Burns said some U.S. capabilities will remain in place.

“When the time comes for the U.S. military to withdraw, the U.S. government’s ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That’s simply a fact,” Burns said.

» Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision
» Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC
» Subscribe to CNBC Classic: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCclassic

Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide.

The News with Shepard Smith is CNBC’s daily news podcast providing deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day’s most important stories. Available to listen by 8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT daily beginning September 30: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/the-n...

Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Facebook:
Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC

https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-cred...

#CNBC
#CNBCTV