Suicide bombers carried out a massacre near Kabul airport. Many Afghans and at least 13 US soldiers are killed and a visibly affected US president threatens retribution.
After the devastating attack near Kabul airport, US President Joe Biden threatened the terrorists responsible with retaliation. “We’ll hunt you down and make you pay for it,” Biden said on Thursday in the White House. He announced operations by the US military against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) responsible for the attack – and the continuation of the evacuations from Afghanistan. The terrorists could not get the US to stop their “mission,” stressed Biden, referring to the Americans who remained in the country. “We’ll find her, and we’ll get her out of there.”
In addition to 13 US soldiers, many Afghans were also killed in the attack. Unconfirmed media reports and videos from the crime scene point to dozens of local deaths, plus countless injuries. The US Department of Defense said 18 soldiers were also wounded. The injured would be flown out in specially equipped aircraft, it said.
Joe Biden is visibly affected
When US President Joe Biden then appears in front of the cameras in the White House, he is visibly affected. Biden speaks of a “difficult day”. During his half-hour speech, the president made it clear: “We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them hold up our mission. We will continue the evacuation.” The president has promised to bring all Americans home and to get as many Afghan allies out of the country as possible. According to the US State Department, there are still around 1,000 American citizens in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, every day of action increases the risk of further attacks.
For Biden, the combat missions of US soldiers have a personal touch; his later deceased son Beau was an officer in Iraq. “Like many of you, we have an inkling of what the families of these brave heroes are feeling today,” says Biden, referring to the relatives of the US soldiers who have now been killed. “It feels like being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest. There is no way out. My heart aches for you.” Biden’s oath of vengeance is all the angrier. To the address of the masterminds behind the attack, he said: “We will not be forgiven. We will not forget.”
As the most important argument for the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden has cited that the terrorist network Al-Qaeda is no longer able to attack targets in the USA from there. Even if that were true, the attack once again made it clear that the terror in Afghanistan has not been defeated. Biden’s threat to the backers is certainly not an empty one in view of US drones and special forces. But there is one thing that jihadists around the world will no longer have to fear for the foreseeable future: a US-led invasion of their country. After their failure in Afghanistan, Western states will no longer be ready for such interventions anytime soon.
Biden: Trigger is correct
Biden said something on Thursday that should hurt those who have been committed to building democracy in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. “I never thought we should sacrifice American lives to establish a democratic government in Afghanistan.” He firmly believes that the withdrawal of US troops is the right step, even if Afghanistan is left to the Islamists again.
Biden is convinced that history – and, in the medium term, even more importantly: the voters – will agree with him. According to surveys, his approval ratings have recently dropped to a low point. According to a survey on behalf of “USA Today”, only around one in four agrees with Biden’s handling of the troop withdrawal – although a majority is in favor of bringing the soldiers home.
Biden argues that after Trump’s agreement with the Taliban – which provided for a May 1 withdrawal – he had only two options: to bring the troops home soon afterwards or to send thousands of new soldiers to Afghanistan to escalate the war. He fails to mention that experts have suggested alternatives to these two extremes. And now again emphasizes: “It was time to end a 20-year war.”
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