Joe Biden decided on Saturday August 14 to increase the military deployment in Kabul to some 5,000 troops to secure the evacuation of civilians in the face of the Taliban's lightning offensive, while defending his decision to end 20 years of war in Afghanistan.
The US president said in a statement that after consulting with his national security advisers, he had decided that "
around 5,000 troops
" would be deployed to Kabul airport to evacuate diplomatic personnel, as well as Afghans having worked for the United States and fearing retaliation from the Taliban.
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The US administration had hitherto cited the figure of 3,000 troops, but the situation on the ground has deteriorated faster than it expected.
The Taliban seized on Saturday evening Mazar-i-Sharif, the last major city in northern Afghanistan still controlled by the government, further increasing their grip on the country.
3000 Marines by the end of the weekend
According to a US military source, a thousand army soldiers who were initially to be pre-positioned in Kuwait if the situation deteriorates, will leave directly for Kabul.
They will join the 3,000 Marines who are due to arrive in the Afghan capital by the end of the weekend, and the 650 American soldiers who were already there.
Mr. Biden warned the Taliban that any action that "
endangers US nationals or our mission would receive a swift and strong military response
."
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He also defended his decision to end 20 years of war in Afghanistan, reaffirming that "
a year or five more years of American military presence would have made no difference, when the Afghan army cannot or does not want to. defend your own country
”. "
I am the fourth president to lead an American military presence in Afghanistan - two Republicans, two Democrats,
" he concluded. "
I will not bequeath this war to a fifth
."