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President Biden on Friday addressed the bid to evacuate American citizens and Afghan allies from Afghanistan in the face of the Taliban takeover of the country, as he faces a torrent of criticism for his handling of the U.S. withdrawal.
"There'll be plenty of time to criticize and second-guess when this operation is over, but now I'm focused on getting this job done," he said at a news conference from the White House.
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Aug 20, 2021: President Joe Biden speaks about the evacuation of American citizens, their families, SIV applicants and vulnerable Afghans in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
In a broad speech in which he pledged to get Americans home, Biden said the U.S. was ramping up evacuations of citizens and Afghans and had made "significant progress." He also cautioned that he couldn't promise what the final outcome of the dire situation in Kabul would be.
"I cannot promise what the final outcome will be, or that it will be without risk of loss, but as commander in chief I can assure you I will mobilize every resource necessary," he said.
Officials said Friday that they have so far evacuated about 13,000 people from the country since the Taliban pressed toward Kabul, sparking chaotic scenes at the capital’s airport as nationals and Americans made desperate bids to board planes out of the besieged country. Biden has been widely criticized for the crisis, yet on Friday he sought to portray the situation as one in which the U.S. had control.
"We've established a flow of flights and we've increased the number of people we’re moving out of the country," Biden said.
Those looking to get out amid fears of reprisals have faced Taliban checkpoints, as well as a sluggish effort to get people out. The Pentagon said 5,700 people have been evacuated from Kabul aboard 16 Air Force C-17s over the last 24 hours. That’s 356 per flight, just over maximum capacity on the aircraft and a significant increase over the day before, when flights were departing nearly half-empty.
Biden on Friday made a pledge to U.S. citizens still in the country: "Any American who wants to come home -- we will get you home."
The State Department had acknowledged Thursday that there was "congestion" around the airport and reports of Americans unable to get there. It had also been including a line in its messages telling Americans to come to the Kabul airport for evacuations, saying: "The United States government cannot ensure safe passage to the Hamid Karzai International Airport."
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The State Department's latest guidance Friday said Americans should "use their best judgment getting to the airport" and warned that "airport gates may open or close without notice."
However, Biden said that the U.S. has had "no indication" that Americans with passports haven't been able to get to the airport, and said there was an agreement in place with the Taliban.
Separately, the Pentagon has said it intends to transfer 22,000 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants to the United States, where they will be housed at military bases. Biden on Friday said the U.S. is committed to giving U.S. allies safe haven.
"The United States stands by its commitment we've made to these people, and includes other vulnerable Afghans such as women leaders and journalists," he said.
He also dismissed questions about the possibility of U.S. credibility being damaged by the debacle: "I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world."
It is the latest instance this week of Biden defending his administration’s strategy, which he did in an address to the public and in a TV interview.
"I don’t think it could’ve been handled in a way that- we’re going to go back in hindsight and look but the idea that somehow there was a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens," Biden told ABC News earlier this week.
Republicans, who have been scathing of Biden's handling of the crisis, were similarly critical on Friday.
"President Biden is either divorced from reality or he’s intentionally misleading the nation about what is actually happening in Afghanistan," Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said in a statement. "The evacuation process is a nightmare. It is unconscionable that the most powerful nation on earth won’t guarantee the safe passage of American citizens, instead choosing to put their fate in the hands of the Taliban. "
"We can leave no American behind, and we must use all means necessary to bring all Americans back home safely. Anything short of that is a dereliction of duty on the part of our commander in chief," he said.
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The Republican National Committee accused Biden of creating a "disaster" in Afghanistan.
"Biden's claims that Americans can safely get to the Kabul airport and that our allies support his management handling of the crisis are verifiably false," RNC spokesperson Emma Vaughn said. "Americans deserve accountability and transparency, not continued lies and failure."
Earlier this week, Biden ordered more U.S. troops to the country to help with evacuations and to keep operations running smoothly. As of Friday, nearly 6,000 U.S. troops were on the ground at Kabul airport and the military buildup was nearly complete, defense officials told Fox News.
The White House said Friday morning that Biden will not go to Wilmington, Delaware, as had been scheduled, and will remain in Washington, D.C. Biden spent most of the last week in Wilmington and the Camp David presidential retreat as the crisis spiraled out of control.
Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report, as well as The Associated Press.
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