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Biden Addresses the Nation on End of the Afghanistan War; Biden: We Will Get Remaining Americans Out "If The So Choose"; Biden: Afghanistan War "Should Have Ended Long Ago";. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired August 31, 2021 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We owed them and their families a debt of gratitude we can never repay, but we should never, ever, ever forget. In April, I made a decision to end this war. As part of that decision, we set the date of August 31st for American troops to withdraw.

The assumption was that more than 300,000 Afghan national security forces that we trained over the past two decades and equipped would be a strong adversary in their civil wars with the Taliban. That assumption that the Afghan government would be able to hold on for a period of time beyond military draw downturned. It turned out not to be accurate.

But I still instructed our national security team to prepare for every eventuality, even that one. And that's what we did. So, we were ready when the Afghan security forces after two decades of fighting for their country and losing thousands of their own, did not hold on as long as anyone expected. We were ready when they -- and the people of Afghanistan watched their own government collapse and the president flee amid the corruption and malfeasance. Handing over the country to their enemy, the Taliban and significantly increasing the risk to U.S. personnel and our allies.

As a result, to safely extract citizens before August 31st, as well as Embassy personnel, allies and partners and those Afghans who had worked with us and fought alongside of us for 20 years, I had authorized 6,000 troops, American troops to Kabul to help secure the airport.

As General McKenzie said, this is the way the mission was designed. It was designed operate under severe stress and attack and that's what it did. Since March, we reached out 19 times to Americans in Afghanistan, with multiple warnings and offers to help them leave Afghanistan, all the way back as far as March. After we started the evacuation 17 days ago, we did initial outreach and analysis and identified around 5,000 Americans who had decided earlier to stay in Afghanistan but now wanted to leave.

Our operation allied rescue ended up getting more than 5,500 Americans out. We got thousands of citizens and diplomats from those countries that went into Afghanistan with us to get Bin Laden. We got out locally employed staff in the United States Embassy and their families, totaling roughly 2,500 people. We got thousands of Afghan translators and interpreters and others who supported the United States out as well.

Now we believe that about 100 to 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan with some intention to leave. Most of those who remain are duel citizens. Longtime residents who had earlier decided to stay because of their family roots in Afghanistan.

The bottom line, 90 percent of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to leave. And for those remaining Americans, there is no deadline. We remain committed to get them out if they want to come out. Secretary of State Blinken, is leading the continued diplomatic efforts to ensure safe passage for any American, Afghan partner, or foreign national who wants to leave Afghanistan.

In fact, just yesterday, the United Nation Security Council passed a resolution that sent a clear message what the international community expects the Taliban to deliver on moving forward. Notably, freedom of travel. Freedom to leave. Together we are joined by over 100 countries that are determined to make sure the Taliban upholds the commitments. It will include ongoing efforts in Afghanistan to reopen the airport, as well as overland routes, allowing for continued departure to those who want to leave and deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

[15:35:00]

The Taliban has made public commitments, broadcast on television and radio across Afghanistan on safe passage for anyone wanting to leave including those who worked alongside Americans. We don't take them pi their word alone but by their actions. And we have leverage to make sure those commitments are met.

Let me be clear, leaving August 31 is not due to an arbitrary deadline. It was designed to save American lives. My predecessor, the former president, signed an agreement with Taliban to remove U.S. troops by May 1st, just months after I was inaugurated. It included no requirement that Taliban work out a cooperative governing arrangement with the Afghan government but it did authorize the release of 5,000 prisoners last year, including some of the Taliban top war commanders. Among those, who just took control of Afghanistan.

By time I came to office, the Taliban was in its strongest military position since 2001. Controlling or contesting nearly half of the country. The previous administration agreement said that if we stuck to the May 1st deadline that they had signed on to leave by, the Taliban wouldn't attack any American forces. But if we stayed, all bets were off. So, we were left with a simple decision. Either follow through on the commitment made by the last administration and leave Afghanistan or say we weren't leaving and commit another tens of thousands more troops going back to war.

That was the choice, the real choice, between leaving or escalating. I was not going to extend this forever war and I was not extending a forever exit. The decision to end the military lift operation at Kabul Airport was based on unanimous recommendation of my civilian and military advisers. The Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all the service chiefs and the commanders in the field.

Their recommends was that the safest way to secure the passage of the remaining Americans and others out of the country was not to continue a 6,000 troops on the ground in harms-way in Kabul but rather to get them out through non-military means.

In the 17 days that we operated in Kabul, after the Taliban seized power, we engaged in an around the clock effort to provide every American the opportunity to leave. Our State Department was working 24/7 contacting and talking and, in some cases, walking Americans into the airport.

Again, more than 5,500 Americans were airlifted out. And for those who remain we will make arrangements to get them out if they so choose. As for the Afghans, we and our partners have air lifted 100,000 of them. No country in history has done more to air lift out the residents of another country than we have done. We will continue to work to help more people leave the country who are at risk. We're far from done.

For now, I urge all Americans to join me in grateful prayer for our troops and diplomats and intelligence officers who carried out this mission of mercy in Kabul and a tremendous risk with such unparalleled results. An airlift that evacuated tens of thousands, to a network of volunteers and veterans who helped identify those needing evacuation, guide them to the airport and provided them for their support along the way.

We're going to continue to need their help. We need your help and I'm looking forward to meeting with you. And to everyone who is now offering who are will offer to welcome Afghan allies to their homes around the world, including in America, we thank you. I take responsibility for the decision.

[15:40:00]

Now some say we should have started mass evacuations sooner. And couldn't had been done in a more orderly manner. I respectfully disagree. Imagine if we had begun evacuations in June or July, bringing in thousands of American troops and evacuating more than 120,000 people in the middle of the Civil War, there still would've been a rush to the airport.

A break down on confidence and control of the government and it still would have been very difficult and a dangerous mission. The bottom line is, there is no evacuation from the end of a war that you can run without the kinds of complexities, challenges, threats we faced. None.

For those who say we should have stayed indefinitely for years on end -- they ask why don't we just keep doing what we were doing? Why do we have to change anything? The fact is everything had changed. My predecessor had made a deal with the Taliban. When I came into office we faced a deadline, May 1. The Taliban onslaught was coming. We faced one of two choices. Follow the agreement of the previous administration and extend it to have -- or extend, have more time for people to get out. Or send in thousands more troops and escalate the war.

For those asking for a third decade of war in Afghanistan, I ask, what is the vital national interest? In my view, we only have one. To make sure Afghanistan can never be used again to launch an attack on our homeland. Remember why we went to Afghanistan in first place. Because we were attacked by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda on September 11, 2001 and they were based in Afghanistan. We delivered justice to bin Laden on May 2nd, 2011 -- over a decade ago. Al Qaeda was decimated.

I respectfully suggest you ask yourself this question, if we been attacked on September 11, 2001, from Yemen instead of Afghanistan, would we have ever gone to war in Afghanistan? Even though the Taliban controlled Afghanistan in the year 2001. I believe the honest answer is no. That's because we had no vital interest in Afghanistan other than to prevent an attack on America's homeland and our friends. That's true today. We succeeded in what we set out to do in Afghanistan over a decade ago, and we stayed for another decade. It was time to end this war.

This is a new world. The terror threat has metastasized across the world well beyond Afghanistan. We faced threats from Al-Shabaab in Somalia, Al Qaeda affiliates in Syria and the Arabian Peninsula, and ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates across Africa and Asia.

The fundamental obligation of a president in my opinion is to defend and protect America. Not against threats of 2001 but against the threats of 2021 and tomorrow. That is the guiding principle behind my decisions about Afghanistan. I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and sending billions of dollars a year in Afghanistan. But I also know that the threat from terrorism continues in its pernicious and evil nature.

But it's changed. Expanded to other countries. Our strategy has to change too. We will maintain the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and other countries. We just don't need to fight a ground war to do it. We have what's called over the horizon capabilities which means we can strike terrorists and targets without American boots on the ground or very few if needed.

[15:45:00]

We have shown that capacity in the last week. We struck ISIS-K remotely. Days after they murdered 13 of our service members and dozens of innocent Afghans. And to ISIS-K. We are not done with you yet. As commander-in-chief I firmly believe the best path to guard our safety and our security lies in a tough, unforgiving, targeted, precise strategy that goes after terror where it is today. Not where it was two decades ago. That's what's in our national interest.

Here is the critical thing to understand. The world is changing. We're engaged in a serious competition with China. We're dealing with the challenges on multiple fronts with Russia. We're confronted with cyberattacks and nuclear proliferation.

We have to sure up American competitiveness to meet the new challenges and the competition for the 21st century. We can do both. Fight terrorism and take on new threats that are here now and will continue to be here in the future. And there's nothing China or Russia would rather have, would want more in this competition than the United States to be bogged down another decade in Afghanistan.

As we turn the page on the foreign policy that's guided our nation the last two decades, we've got to learn from our mistakes. To me there's two that are paramount. First, we must set missions with clear achievable goals. Not ones we'll never reach.

And second, we stay clearly focused on the fundamental national security interest of the United States of America. This decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan. It's about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries. We saw a mission of counter terrorism in Afghanistan. Getting the terrorists and stop the attacks -- morph into a counter insurgency.

Nation building, trying to create a democratic cohesive and united Afghanistan. Something that has never been done over many centuries of Afghan's history. Moving on from that mind set and those kind of large-scale troop deployments will make us stronger and more effective and safer at home.

And for anyone who gets the wrong idea, let me say clearly, to those who wish America harm, to those engaged in terrorism against us or our allies, know this -- the United States will never rest. We will not forgive. We will not forget. We'll hunt you down to ends of the earth and you will pay the ultimate price.

Let me be clear. We'll continue to support the Afghan people through diplomacy, international influence and humanitarian aid. We'll continue to push for regional diplomacy and engagement to prevent violence and instability. We'll continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people -- especially women and girls -- as we speak out women and girls all around the globe.

And I've been clear that human rights will be the center of our foreign policy, but the way to do that is not through endless military deployments, but through diplomacy, economic tools and rallying the rest of the world for support.

My fellow Americans, the war in Afghanistan is now over. I'm the fourth president who has faced the issue of whether and when to end this war. When I was running for president, I made a commitment to the American people that I would end this war. Today, I've honored that commitment. It was time to be honest with the American people again.

We no longer had a clear purpose and an open-ended mission in Afghanistan. After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, I refuse to send another generation of America's sons and daughters to fight a war should have ended long ago. [15:50:00]

After more than $2 trillion spent in Afghanistan, a cost that researchers at Brown University estimated would be over $300 million a day for 20 years in Afghanistan, for two decades.

Yes, the American people should hear this, $300 million a day for two decades. You could take the number of $1 trillion, as many say. That's still $150 million a day for two decades. And what have we lost as a consequence in terms of opportunities? I refuse to continue to war that was no longer in the service of the vital national interest of our people.

And most of all, after 800,000 Americans served in Afghanistan, I've traveled that whole country, brave and honorable service. After 20,744 American service men and women injured. And the loss of 2,461 American personnel, including 13 lives lost just this week. I refused to open another decade of warfare in Afghanistan.

We've been a nation too long at war. If you're 20 years old today, you've never known an America at peace. So, when I hear that we could have, should have continued the so-called "low grade effort" in Afghanistan, at low risk to our service members, at low costs I don't think enough people understand how much we've asked of the 1 percent of this country who put that uniform on. Willing to put their lives on the line in defense of our nation.

Maybe it's because my deceased son, Beau, served in Iraq for a full year. Before that -- well. Maybe it's because of what I've seen over the years as Senator, Vice President and President traveling in these countries. A lot of our veterans and our families have gone through hell. Deployment after deployment, months and years away from their families, missed birthdays, anniversaries, empty chairs at holidays, financial struggles, divorces, loss of limbs, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress.

We see it in the struggles many have when they come home. We see it in the strain on their families and caregivers. We see it in the strain in their families when they're not there. We see it in the grief born by their survivors. The cost of war, they will carry with them their whole lives. Most tragically, we see in the shocking and stunning statistic that should give pause to anyone who thinks war can ever be low grade, low risk or low cost, 18 veterans on average who die by suicide every single day in America.

Not in a far-off place, but right here in America. There is nothing low grade or low risk or low cost about any war. It's time to end the war in Afghanistan.

As we close 20 years of war and strife and pain and sacrifice, it's time to look at the future, not the past. To a future that's safer, to a future that's more secure. To a future the honors those who served and all those who gave what President Lincoln called, "Their last full measure of devotion."

I give you my word, with all of my heart, I believe this is the right decision, a wise decision and the best decision for America. Thank you. Thank you, and may God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: All right, we've been listening there to President Biden give his fiercest defense yet I would say about his decision, his decision to get out on this day from America's longest war. And I think to silence the doubters and the critics.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Yes, far more forceful remarks than the President's made through previous times about Afghanistan.

[15:55:00]

Of course, we'll continue our breaking news coverage of the President's address on the end of the longest war in U.S. history. We turn now to "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. And you've been watching President Biden addressing the nation just one day after the end of America's longest war.

President Biden praised the troops just minutes ago, the troops involved in the mass evacuation efforts. He said we can never repay the 13 U.S. service members killed in the terrorist attack last Thursday.

President Biden also pledging that the United States will help evacuate any remaining Americans or Afghan nationals who want to leave Afghanistan.

Joining us now to discuss, CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Clarissa Ward. We also have with us retired Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, former coordinator for Afghanistan at the National Security Council under Presidents Obama and Bush. He's also the former U.S. Ambassador to NATO.

Kaitlan, let me start with you at the White House. What are you hearing from the White House about the tone of his speech, which at times seemed rather defiant?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It was very defiant, Jake. I think actually throughout a lot of that speech, a very defiant and forceful response to some criticisms of the way that the handling of this exit has gone.

He also defended of course the idea overall, the bigger picture, that the U.S. is leaving Afghanistan and now it has now left Afghanistan. Of course, a decision he made back in April.

And the President was saying that he does not believe that there is any better way that this exit could've gone. He said he respectfully disagrees with the critics who say that this is an evacuation, mass evacuations, should've started sooner. He said that he believes that there would've been these images playing out of a potential rush on the airport no matter when this exit was going to happen. And he repeatedly went back to that decision made by of course former

President Trump to strike a deal with the Taliban about a May 1 exit saying that that is something he believes and something he has said before but something he really hammered home today, Jake, that he believes forced his hand here.

When he came into office facing that May 1 deadline and had to make a decision about whether or not he was going to meet it or come close to meeting it as he is now with deadline. Of course, that they met yesterday of August 31st.

I also thought he gave a pretty good look at how he views foreign policy overall and what we should expect from President Biden going forward, saying that he does not believe nation building works and talking about how when the U.S. does go somewhere, there need to be clear, achievable goals and that they need to be focused on the U.S. national interest when the U.S. is involved, when U.S. forces are involved.

And he was saying he was not going to extend this forever war, and he was saying he was not going to extend the forever exit.

And Jake, he also made a pretty pointed criticism of those who said you should've kept a low-grade force of troops in Afghanistan. That is something that we have heard from several top former commanders at the Pentagon, several top former White House aides from both administrations who said that there could've been a way to keep order and peace there. And he was saying he disagrees that, disagrees with putting troops in harm's way.

So, Jake, really just a forceful defense of what has happened here, but also calling it a success and talking about those who were evacuated over this chaotic period in Afghanistan in the U.S.'s final days there.

TAPPER: Clarissa Ward joins us now from Pakistan next door to Afghanistan. Clarissa, President Biden said that the administration had reached out to the Americans in Afghanistan to warn them that they should leave 19 times since March. He suggested they had time, they had ample warning to get out. Listen to his message to those Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: Are you committed to making sure that the troops stay until every American who wants to be out is out?

BIDEN: Yes. If there's American citizens left, we're going to stay till we get them all out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, that was the promise that he had made early on, Clarissa, the idea that if they were there, the U.S. was going to stay there until they got out. That obviously did not happen. CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It didn't

happen. And you could really feel the frustration in the President's voice, that criticism he's faced about that. He was saying that, listen, the door isn't closed now, we continue to hold the Taliban at their word, and we will get those remaining Americans out. His promise had been to get 100 percent out, as he made the point roughly 90 percent are out.

But I think more broadly speaking, Jake, this was a speech for Americans. This was not a speech for the Afghan people. And when you listen to it from the perspective of the Afghan people, it was hard not to find that, you know, occasionally a little hard to listen to because there wasn't any recognition really of the suffering of the Afghan people.

There wasn't any recognition of the absolute desperation of the feeling of abandonment.

END