No Way to Leave Without Chaos Ensuing: Joe Biden on Afghanistan Crisis

In his first interview since the Taliban's seizure of Afghanistan, United States President Joe Biden said that it was impossible to leave the region "without chaos ensuing".

(Photo altered by The Quint)

In his first interview since the Taliban's seizure of Afghanistan, United States President Joe Biden said that it was impossible to leave the region "without chaos ensuing."

Speaking to the American news channel ABC News, Biden said,

"The idea that somehow there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens."

Joe Biden

Afghanistan has hurtled towards a humanitarian crisis after its government disintegrated at the hands of Taliban.

Earlier this week, visuals of hundreds of desperate Afghans struggling to enter aircrafts to leave the war-torn nation, as well as horrific videos showing people falling to their deaths after they clung on to an aircraft as it took off had surfaced online.

However, amid the panic and desperation unfolding in the Afghan land, Biden defended his call to withdraw US troops.

In the interview, Biden reiterated his aim to complete the military withdrawal by the end of August, but went on to assert: "If there's American citizens left, we're going to stay to get them all out."

Contrary to his promise of the 'orderly drawdown', the American administration has appealed to the Taliban to let the people fleeing a safe passage out of the country, AFP reported.

The US had taken over the operations of Kabul Airport after it experienced upheaval as people tried to escape Taliban rule.

Biden said that the militant organisation was cooperating on letting Americans leave, but also added, "We're having some more difficulty having those who helped us when we were in there," AFP reported.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman reiterated, "We have seen reports that the Taliban, contrary to their public statements and their commitments to our government, are blocking Afghans who wish to leave the country from reaching the airport," AFP quoted.

(With inputs from AFP)