On the recordAugust 16, 2021
The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometime without trying to fight. America`s troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves. I inherited a deal the President Trump negotiated with the Taliban. The choice I had to make, as your president was easier to follow through on that agreement, or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban. After 20 years, I`ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.
