August 31 Afghanistan-Taliban news

The top US general spoke directly to troops who have served in Afghanistan, saying "to each of you, your service mattered," as he mourned the service members who were killed in the 20-year mission, including the 13 troops killed in last Thursday's bombing.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Ramon Colon-Lopez told service members in a letter written to the military Tuesday that "you can hold your head high that we prevented an attack on the United States homeland."

Earlier Tuesday, President Biden remarked that 800,000 Americans have served in Afghanistan during two decades of fighting. During that time, 2,641 US troops lost their lives, while 20,744 were injured in combat.

One day after the withdrawal of the last US forces from Afghanistan, Milley wrote, "11 Marines, a Soldier, and a Navy Corpsman paid the ultimate price to save over 124,000 people and gave them an opportunity to live in freedom."

"Your actions honor the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters in arms who lost their lives or were wounded in Afghanistan. Over the last two decades and the last 2 weeks, you embodied our American values of equality, liberty, and human dignity for all."

Asked about critical comments from some families of the 13 service members who died in Kabul last Thursday, press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden’s message to all of the families is that he is “grateful to their sons and daughters, the sacrifice they made to the country.”

Psaki added that Biden would not “speak to” the private conversations between the families, but added that those families “of course have the right to convey whatever they would like.”

Psaki said that Biden was “deeply impacted” by the family members and that he talks about them “frequently in meetings.”

“That is not going to change their suffering but I wanted to convey that still,” Psaki added.

At least one of the family members of the 13 service members has criticized Biden publicly.        

President Biden said the end of the war in Afghanistan marks the end of an era for the United States’ military efforts “to remake other countries.” 

“This decision about Afghanistan isn’t just about Afghanistan. It’s about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries,” the President said during a speech at the White House Tuesday marking the end of US military operations in Afghanistan.

The President also said he refuses to send another generation of young men and women “to fight a war that should have ended long ago.”

“It was time to be honest with the American people again. We no longer had a clear purpose in an open-ended mission in Afghanistan,” Biden said.

President Biden defended his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan during remarks from the White House, stating that he refused to start another "decade of warfare."

Biden continued to address the estimated $2 trillion cost of the war and how the money spent may have hindered American national interests over the years.

Biden also addressed the human cost that Americans suffered during the 20 years spent in Afghanistan.

"And most of all, after 800,000 Americans serving in Afghanistan ... After 20,744 American servicemen and women injured, and the loss of 2,461 American personnel, including 13 lives lost just this week, I refuse to open another decade of warfare in Afghanistan," Biden said.

"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've continued this so-called low-grade effort in Afghanistan, at low risk to our service members, at low cost, I don't think enough people understand how much we have asked of the 1% of this country who put that uniform on, willing to put their lives on the line in defense of our nation," the President said.

President Biden vowed to continue to go after terrorism around the globe, saying Tuesday the United States will “go after terror where it is today, not where it was two decades ago.” 

Biden also said that the terror threat has metastasized from Afghanistan to around the globe, adding, “the threat from terrorism continues, but it’s changed. Our strategy needs to change too.” 

The President also acknowledged the new challenges around the globe include those presented by China and Russia saying there’s nothing the two nations “would rather have and want more in this competition than for the United States to be bogged down another decade in Afghanistan."

 Watch:

In remarks following the end of the United States' war in Afghanistan, President Biden referenced the American lives lost during the conflict's final days.

"Twenty service members were wounded in the service of this mission. Thirteen heroes gave their lives," said Biden, speaking live from the White House.

Noting that the success of America's withdrawal from Afghanistan "was due to the incredible skill, bravery, and selfless courage" of the US military and diplomats, Biden promised that the 13 fallen service members who perished as part of the operation would not be forgotten.

Knowing that ISIS-K terrorists were "lurking" amid the crowds at the airport in Kabul, Biden said American service members performed their duty despite a dangerous and ultimately deadly environment.

"Risking their lives, not for professional gains but to serve others," Biden said of America's military, noting that the work of evacuating Americans and Afghan partners was not "a mission of war" but rather "a mission of mercy."

"Our operation 'Allied Rescue' ended up getting more than 5,500 Americans out," Biden stated, adding that "we got thousands of Afghan translators and interpreters and others who supported the United States out as well."

Watch:

President Biden, in his first address since the end of the Afghanistan war, praised the “extraordinary success” of the military evacuation, calling it “not a mission of war, but in a mission of mercy.”

"The extraordinary success of this mission was due to the incredible skill, bravery and selfless courage of the United States military and our diplomats and intelligence professionals,” Biden said.

Biden also spoke at length about the evacuation efforts, saying 90% of Americans who wanted to leave were able to evacuate Afghanistan, adding that about 5,500 American citizens were evacuated.

“For those remaining Americans, there is no deadline,” Biden said, adding that the United States is “committed to get them out if they want to come out.”

Biden said the administration reached out to Americans to evacuate “19 times” over the last several weeks.

Biden touted the evacuation effort, pointing to the 120,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan saying, “no nation has ever done anything like it in all of history.”

President Biden offered no misgivings over his decision to end America’s longest war in forceful remarks from the White House.

Biden said the real decision in Afghanistan was "between leaving and escalating,” framing his choice to withdraw troops as the only option aside from surging more forces to the country.

“The fact is, everything has changed,” Biden said, citing the deal with the Taliban signed by his predecessor.

Biden said he takes “responsibility” for his decision to withdraw, but said he “respectfully disagrees” with those who say he should have begun mass evacuations earlier, claiming there would have been a “rush to the airport.”

"For those asking for a third decade of war, I ask, what is the vital national interest? In my view we only have one: to make sure Afghanistan can never again be used to launch an attack on our homeland," Biden said.

President Biden told the American public that he no longer believed "the safety and security of America" was enhanced by having troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

"I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars a year in Afghanistan," Biden continued.

"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," the President said.