By Shannon Pettypiece - NBC News
The president, Joe Biden, addresses the nation on Tuesday after the end of the
military mission
in Afghanistan, and when the White House tries to respond to criticism for the chaotic withdrawal to refocus the attention of citizens on his domestic agency .
The last American flight out of Kabul took off one minute before midnight local time on Monday.
He was fired with fireworks and gunfire as the Taliban celebrated their withdrawal, 20 years after his regime was toppled by US forces.
Biden
has remained steadfast in his decision to pull all of his troops out
of Afghanistan, even as the Taliban reconquered 15 days before the scheduled end of the withdrawal.
In a statement released by the White House on Monday, the president thanked the soldiers who assisted in the evacuation of tens of thousands of Americans and Afghans.
The mother of a young soldier who died in Afghanistan remembers her last call with him
Aug. 31, 202 105: 34
"In the past 17 days, our troops have executed the largest airlift in US history, evacuating more than 120,000 US citizens, citizens of our Afghan allies and US allies," Biden said in the statement.
"They have done it
with unmatched courage, professionalism and determination
. Now our 20-year military presence in Afghanistan is over," he said.
["We did not remove everyone we wanted to remove." More than 100 Americans are stranded in Afghanistan after military withdrawal]
The latest month of chaos and bloodshed in Afghanistan has drawn attention at a time when the White House expected him to pursue Biden's domestic agenda, including passing a $ 3.5 trillion plan on infrastructure, healthcare. and education programs that would also open a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented people.
But the end of the longest war in US history and the beginning of an uncertain new chapter for Afghanistan could continue to present challenges for the Biden presidency.
Between 100 and 200 Americans who wanted to leave the country are still there, along with thousands of Afghans who aided US troops and who now fear for their lives as the Taliban run the country.
A US Air Force plane takes off from Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, on August 30, 2021.AFP via Getty Images
Most Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of
the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a Reuters / Ipsos poll released Monday, but only 20% said he deserved the "greater blame for the current state" of the conflict.
Administration officials have said they will continue to work to help eligible Americans and Afghans to leave Afghanistan, and that diplomatic relations with the country will continue even if the United States no longer has personnel on the ground.
["Afghanistan is free at last." Taliban take control of Kabul airport after US departure]
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that the United States plans to
continue providing humanitarian aid
to the Afghan people through international organizations and could offer economic and development assistance to that nation, depending on the actions of the Afghan people. Taliban in the next few days.
"We believe there is an important dimension of humanitarian aid that should go directly to the people of Afghanistan," Sullivan explained on ABC's Good Morning America.
Biden has maintained that the United States is no longer interested in maintaining a military presence in Afghanistan and that the United States
has the ability to combat any terrorist threat there from outside its borders
.
How much did the war in Afghanistan cost?
Here an estimate
Aug. 31, 202100: 49
But last week's attack by the terrorist group ISIS-K, a subsidiary of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Afghanistan, which killed 13 US service members and at least 170 civilians, was a stark reminder of the threat that looms over the country.
There are currently at least 2,000 ISIS fighters in Afghanistan, many of whom were released from Afghan prisons when the Taliban took control, according to Navy Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command.