President Joe Biden and other top US officials have been stunned by the pace of the Taliban's nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan, as the planned withdrawal of American forces urgently became a mission to ensure a safe evacuation.
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The speed of the Afghan government's collapse and the ensuing chaos posed the most serious test of Biden as commander-in-chief, and he was the subject of withering criticism from Republicans who said that he had failed.
Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in international relations and has spent months playing down the prospect of an ascendant Taliban while arguing that Americans of all political persuasions have tired of a 20-year war, a conflict that demonstrated the limits of money and military might to force a Western-style democracy on a society not ready or willing to embrace it.
By Sunday, though, leading figures in the administration acknowledged they were caught off guard with the utter speed of the collapse of Afghan security forces. The challenge of that effort became clear after reports of sporadic gunfire at the Kabul airport prompted Americans to shelter as they awaited flights to safety after the US embassy was completely evacuated.
"We've seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated," US secretary of state Antony Blinken told CNN, referring to the Afghan military.
The turmoil in Afghanistan resets the focus in an unwelcome way for a president who has largely focused on a domestic agenda that includes emerging from the pandemic, winning congressional approval for trillions of dollars in infrastructure spending and protecting voting rights.
Biden remained at Camp David on Sunday, receiving regular briefings on Afghanistan and holding secure video conference calls with members of his national security team, according to senior White House officials.
Discussions were under way for Biden to speak publicly, according to two senior administration officials who requested anonymity to discuss internal conversations.
Biden is the fourth US president to confront challenges in Afghanistan and has insisted he would not hand America's longest war to his successor.
But the president will likely have to explain how security in Afghanistan unravelled so quickly, especially since he and others in the administration have insisted it would not happen.
As recently as last week, Biden publicly expressed hope that Afghan forces could develop the will to defend their country.
But privately, administration officials warned the military was crumbling, prompting Biden on Thursday to order thousands of American troops into the region to speed up evacuation plans.
Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump also yearned to leave Afghanistan, but ultimately stood down in the face of resistance from military leaders and other political concerns.
But Biden has been steadfast in his refusal to change the August 31 deadline, in part because of his belief that the American public is on his side.
A late July ABC News/Ipsos poll, for instance, showed 55 per cent of Americans approving of Biden's handling of the troop withdrawal.
Australian Associated Press
