President Joe Biden has reaffirmed his stance on the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. 

The Taliban yesterday claimed control in Afghanistan when President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

“I stand squarely behind my decision,” President Biden said in an address. “There was never a good time to withdraw.”

“If Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistance to the Taliban now, there is no chance that … one more year, five more years, or 20 more years of US military boots on the ground would have made any difference.

“Here is what I believe to my core: It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan’s own arm forces would not.

“So I’m left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: how many more generations of American daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistan’s civil war?”

However, President Biden admitted the previous days’ events “did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated”.

Press PLAY below to hear a wrap of the President’s speech

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