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Joe Biden says he stands 'squarely' behind Afghanistan withdrawal

Biden defends Afghanistan decision, blames Afghan army's unwillingness to fight

Joe Biden
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'I stand squarely behind my decision,' Biden said in a speech at the White House. (Bloomberg photo)

Steve Holland and Nandita Bose | Reuters
President Joe Biden on Monday said he "stood squarely behind" his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan and rejected broad criticism of the chaotic withdrawal that is posing a crisis for him.

Biden blamed the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan on Afghan political leaders who fled the country and the unwillingness of the Afghan army to fight the militant group. He has also blamed his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, for empowering the Taliban and leaving them "in the strongest position militarily since 2001."

The decision to withdraw sparked criticism from allies and adversaries after the Afghan government collapsed within

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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