US President Joe Biden on Friday defended his administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan though he acknowledged the mission faced risk and the situation was unpredictable.
“Make no mistake, this evacuation mission is dangerous. It involves risks to our armed forces and its being conducted under difficult circumstances,” Biden said in remarks from the White House, according to Fox News.
“I cannot promise what the final outcome will be, that it will be without risk of loss. But as commander in chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary,” he added.
Saying the "buck" stops with him, Biden defended the decision to end the US war in Afghanistan, but deflected some questions about the way the US has exited.
"There will be plenty of time to criticize and second guess when this operation is over, but now I'm focused on getting this job done," he stated.
Biden insisted that the US would evacuate every American before troops leave and that his administration is committed to evacuating Afghans who assisted the US in the 20-year conflict.
The President further said that the US has evacuated over 18,000 people since July and 13,000 since August 14.
The Biden administration has come under fire for his handling of the crisis in Afghanistan, where the Taliban overtook the capital Kabul this week, forcing the Afghani president to flee to the United Arab Emirates.
On Monday, Biden gave a speech in which he justified the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and said he “stands squarely behind” that decision.
On Wednesday, in an interview with ABC, the President insisted he doesn't know how the US could have withdrawn from Afghanistan without "chaos ensuing."
Among those to criticize Biden is former Vice President Mike Pence, who penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in which he accused Biden of showing "weakness" toward the Taliban.
Former President Donald Trump blasted Biden in an interview with Newsmax, saying, "It's inconceivable that anybody could be so incompetent, stupid.”
"Use any word you want to use," Trump added. "To imagine that you take out your military before you take out your US citizens, and the civilians and others that may be helped us to even think of that, it's not something that can be believed."
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)