United States President Joe Biden   (Credit: Whitehouse.gov)

By  Gary Raynaldo      DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON   –   PENTAGON  –    President Joe Biden made his case before the American people Thursday  in defending the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.  President  Biden vowed he would “not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome.”  The president spoke at the White House to provide his reasoning for ending the 20-year conflict in Afghanistan and to have all American forces out by August 31.  Biden also praised the more than 800,000 American service members, DOD civilians and contractors who served in Afghanistan since 2001.  The United States military went into Afghanistan as a response to the attacks of September 11, 2001 that killed 3,000 people in the United States. Al-Qaida — led by Osama bin Laden — planned and rehearsed the attacks from their safe haven in Afghanistan.  The United States has lost 2,248 Americans killed in the war.. 

“Let me ask those who wanted us to stay: How many … thousands more of America’s daughters and sons are you willing to risk? How long would you have them stay?” 

-President Biden

There Will be no “mission accomplished” moment to celebrate –  President Biden 

(Photo by  Gary Raynaldo  ©Diplomatic Times)  Pentagon press briefing room at the Pentagon in Washington  DC  as President Biden explains U.S. withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan  Jul 08, 2021.

DIPLOMATIC TIMES  VIDEO  –     Pentagon press briefing room at the Pentagon in Washington  DC  as President Biden explains U.S. withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan  Jul 08, 2021.

Unlike former President George W. Bush’s speech on an aircraft carrier to mark the end of major combat operations in Iraq, for Biden there will be no “mission accomplished” moment to celebrate, the White House said. After Bush declared the  war was over,  more casualties came  during a surge of guerrilla warfare. 

 Terror threat has shifted to different areas including Somalia, West Africa and South Asia and the Middle East

The United States spent about $1 trillion training and outfitting Afghan defense forces. “The United States cannot afford to remain tethered to policies creating a response to a world as it was 20 years ago,” Biden said. “We need to meet the threats where they are today.”   The President said the terror threat has shifted to different areas including Somalia, West Africa and South Asia and the Middle East. Biden said the U.S. military is studying where forces can best be used. “But make no mistake: Our military and intelligence leaders are confident they have the capabilities to protect the homeland and our interests from any resurgent terrorist challenge emerging or emanating from Afghanistan,” he said.