White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki continued to deflect criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan Monday, saying it’s “not always an option” to take all military equipment when exiting a war zone.
“Certainly our objective was not to leave [the Taliban] with any equipment but that is not always an option when you are looking to retrograde and move out of a war zone,” said the Press Secretary.
.@PressSec: "Certainly our objection was not to leave [the Taliban] with any equipment but that is not always an option when you are looking to retrograde and move out of a war zone." pic.twitter.com/a3jXdTT1Eb
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 30, 2021
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan admitted earlier this month that the administration does not yet have a “complete picture” on the location of American defense equipment abandoned in Afghanistan.
“We don’t have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defense materials has gone,” the Biden adviser said. “But certainly, a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban, and, obviously, we don’t have a sense that they are going to readily hand it over to us at the airport.”
“The president did not think it was inevitable that the Taliban were going to take control of Afghanistan,” Sullivan said. “He thought the Afghan national security forces could step up and fight because we spent 20 years, tens of billions of dollars, training them, giving them the best equipment, giving them support of U.S. forces for 20 years.”
“When push came to shove, they decided not to step up and fight for their country,” Sullivan concluded.
Watch Psaki’s comments above.
??????: Biden Launches Incoherent 3-Minute Rant Over Whether Americans Can Get Out of Afghanistan
President Biden held a disastrous press briefing Friday when he finally took answers from the media; launching into a three-minute rant about whether Americans can safely reach the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
“You said there’s no circumstances where American citizens cannot get to the airport. That doesn’t square with the reporting on the ground. Are you saying any American who wants to get to the airport can get there?” asked one reporter.
“I thought the question was, how can they get through the airport, outside the airport, the answer is, to the best of our knowledge, the Taliban checkpoints, they are letting through, people […] That’s why we had to, I guess yesterday, or the day before? We went over the wall, and brought in, how many?” said the Commander-in-Chief.
“My guess is, no matter what, under what circumstances, we, anyone, there’s not a whole lot of Afghanis, there’s a whole lot of Afghanis who just as soon come to America,” he concluded.
A report from Reuters highlights the scope of the crisis unfolding in Afghanistan as the agency claims the Taliban now control 2,000 American-made vehicles and between 30 and 40 aircraft.
“U.S. officials tell Reuters that the current intelligence indicates that the Taliban control at least 2,000 U.S.-made armored vehicles, between 30 and 40 aircraft and an untold number of small arms,” writes a reporter from the global news agency.
“Joe Biden creates the Taliban Army and Air Force,” posted former Trump official Richard Grenell on Twitter.
Watch the bizarre comments above.
BIDEN LAST WEEK: ‘Any Attack on Our Forces at the Airport Will Be Met with a Swift and Forceful Response’
Afghanistan descended into more chaos Thursday after a “complex terror attack” inflicted unknown casualties outside Kabul’s International Airport, prompting many to look to the White House for an official response as Americans remain trapped in the country.
“We’re in constant contact with the Taliban working to ensure civilians have safe passage to the airport… Any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with swift and forceful response,” said Biden last week flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris.
BIDEN LAST WEEK: "Any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with swift and forceful response." pic.twitter.com/chiPr7LPou
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) August 26, 2021
Congressman Dan Crenshaw issued a statement following the terror attacks near Kabul’s main airport Thursday, demanding President Biden “fix the mess he created” and to “stop running from it.”
“Mr. President, fix the mess you created. Stop running from it. We are still at war. You didn’t ‘end the war,’ you just gave the enemy new advantage. Go on offense, establish superiority, and don’t leave until all our citizens and allies are safe,” posted Crenshaw on Twitter.
Mr. President, fix the mess you created. Stop running from it. We are still at war. You didn’t “end the war,” you just gave the enemy new advantage. Go on offense, establish superiority, and don’t leave until all our citizens and allies are safe. https://t.co/htKFMQ0Y0k
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) August 26, 2021
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby confirmed a second explosion in downtown Kabul Thursday after an earlier explosion rocked the capital’s international airport.
“We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update,” posted the Pentagon Press Secretary on Twitter.
We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update.
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 26, 2021
Fox News is now reporting at least three American soldiers were injured in the first blast.
“A suicide bombing outside the Abbey Gate at Kabul’s airport in Afghanistan Thursday injured at least three U.S. troops, U.S. officials confirmed. A U.S. official indicated that the attack set off a firefight at Abbey Gate, where last night, there were 5,000 Afghans and potentially some Americans seeking access to the airport,” reports Fox News.
“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” posted Kirby on Twitter.
We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can.
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 26, 2021
#BREAKING: Explosion reported at Kabul airport https://t.co/s40Ede94cd pic.twitter.com/4yeWCjwSF5
— The Hill (@thehill) August 26, 2021
This is a breaking news report. Check back for updates.
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