Biden defends US pullout from Afghanistan despite panic in Kabul

US President Joe Biden on Monday defended the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, even in the face of the Taliban's stunning victory, which prompted panic in Kabul with thousands mobbing the airport in a desperate attempt to flee.

In his address at the White House -- his first public appearance since the Islamist insurgents took control of the country in astonishing fashion at the weekend -- he admitted the Taliban advance had unfolded more quickly than expected.

People climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport on Monday. Thousands rushed to the city’s airport trying to flee as the Taliban took control.Credit...Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

"We gave them every chance to determine their own future. We could not provide them with the will to fight for that future," Biden said, adding he could no longer ask US soldiers to risk their lives in the country, 20 years on.

Video Source: Sky News Youtube Channel

The Taliban captured Kabul, and many other cities, with little bloodshed -- but in the capital, a sense of panic and fear overwhelmed residents, some of whom worried about a repeat of the insurgents' brutal Islamist rule from 1996 to 2001.

"We are afraid to live in this city," a 25-year-old ex-soldier told AFP as he stood among huge crowds on the tarmac.

Women and children sitting on the tarmac at Kabul’s international airport on Monday. The airport was overrun with people seeking to leave the country. Credit...Wakil Kohsar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The United States -- which was left shocked by the rapid collapse of the Afghan government -- has sent 6,000 troops to ensure the safe evacuation of embassy staff, as well as Afghans who worked as interpreters or in other support roles.

On Monday, dramatic footage posted on social media showed hundreds of men running alongside a US Air Force plane as it rolled down the runway, with some clinging to the side of it.

A US soldier (C) points his gun towards an Afghan passenger at the airport in Kabul, where chaotic scenes unfolded after the Taliban took over the country | Source: AFP

One picture carried by US media showed a jam-packed US military transport plane purportedly with about 640 Afghans on board -- some of whom climbed onto the half-open ramp at the last minute and were allowed aboard.

- 'Devastating' -
Ghani's departure on Sunday finalised the collapse of his government. His whereabouts are currently unknown.

China was the first major nation to flag support for the Taliban, stating it was ready for "friendly relations". Both Russia and Iran also made diplomatic overtures.

Biden issued a stern warning to the insurgents, saying any threats to US interests would be met with a "devastating" military response.

Critics say the US reputation as a global power has been badly tarnished by the Taliban's victory, nearly 20 years after they were ousted from power by a US-led invasion over their support for Al-Qaeda.

Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace described the Taliban takeover as a "failure of the international community", assessing that the West's intervention was a job only half-done.

Biden said he was "left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: how many more generations of America's daughters and sons would you have me send to Afghanistan's civil war when Afghan troops will not?"

"The following days will be pivotal," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "The world is watching. We cannot and must not abandon the people of Afghanistan."

Source: NewsAU