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US President Joe Biden: "Endless American Presence Amid Civil War In Another Country Unacceptable"
Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP
US President Joe Biden spoke to his national security team in view of the dramatic situation in Afghanistan.
The White House wrote on Twitter on Saturday that the ongoing efforts to "reduce the civilian presence in Afghanistan" were discussed at a video conference.
Vice President Kamala Harris was also involved in the meeting.
Despite the rapid advance of the Islamist and militant Taliban in Afghanistan, Biden again defended the withdrawal of US troops from the crisis state.
"Another year or five more years of US military presence would have made no difference if the Afghan military cannot or does not want to keep its own country," said a statement from the president on Saturday.
An endless American presence in the middle of a civil war in another country was not acceptable to him.
"I was the fourth president to lead an American troop presence in Afghanistan - two Republicans, two Democrats," said Biden.
He would "not pass this war on to a fifth president."
Read Biden's full statement here: Statement by President Joe Biden on Afghanistan
Since the start of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops in May, the Islamist Taliban have recorded enormous territorial gains and have recently taken the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, the long-standing location of a Bundeswehr field camp.
The US military wanted to leave Afghanistan by the end of August.
The last units of the Bundeswehr landed back in Germany at the end of June.
The USA and Germany are bringing staff out of the country
The US military has recently announced that it will relocate around 3,000 soldiers as reinforcements to Kabul Airport in order to support the reduction of the staff at the US embassy. You should arrive during the weekend. Around 5000 more soldiers are also stationed in the Middle East to stand by as possible reinforcements. US President Biden warned the Taliban not to obstruct the mission. Attacks on US interests would be answered swiftly and forcefully.
Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) also announced that she would bring embassy staff and local staff from Afghanistan "as soon as possible".
The Bundeswehr has started preparations for an evacuation.
In the coming week, paratroopers from the Rapid Forces Division (DSK), which the Bundeswehr has for this task as part of the National Risk and Crisis Prevention, are to be deployed.
oka / AFP / dpa