Biden Denies That Top Advisors Warned Him Against Afghanistan Withdrawal - Forbes

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Topline

President Biden insisted he was not warned by top advisors against the U.S.’s Afghanistan withdrawal plan in an ABC News interview aired Thursday, flatly denying reporting from The Wall Street Journal that top military generals urged the president to reconsider a full and hasty removal of all troops. 

Key Facts

Biden told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that “no one” that he “can recall” advised him to keep a force of about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan while seeking a peace agreement between warring groups, as The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. 

According to the report, which was based on interviews with anonymous defense and administration officials, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Biden that a full withdrawal from Afghanistan wouldn’t provide insurance of stability and Joints Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley advised him to keep a presence there.

While opinions were “split” on the withdrawal, Biden said his advisors didn’t push back against whether the U.S. was going to get out “all troops” by its Aug. 31 deadline. 

The president also reiterated that he did not receive intelligence forecasting the Taliban would seize control as quickly as it did, though The Journal reported that “ military and intelligence officials told Mr. Biden that security was deteriorating in Afghanistan,” warning “about the capabilities of the Afghan military and the Taliban’s likely ability to take over major Afghan cities.”

Crucial Quote 

“The intelligence community did not say back in June or July that, in fact, this was gonna collapse like it did,” Biden said, stressing that he doesn’t think the exit could have been handled in a way “without chaos ensuing.” “There is no good time to leave Afghanistan,” he said. 

Key Background 

Biden has been facing bipartisan criticism over a so-far chaotic exit from Afghanistan, complicated by the Taliban’s sudden seizure of Kabul over the weekend and a temporary shutdown of the capital city’s airport. The U.S. has since been speeding to evacuate the estimated 10,000-15,000 Americans still in the country, as well as the U.S.’s tens of thousands of Afghan allies. 

Further Reading 

“Biden Wanted to Leave Afghanistan. He Knew the Risks.” (The Wall Street Journal)

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Biden Denies That Top Advisors Warned Him Against Afghanistan Withdrawal - Forbes
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