Biden says chaos couldn’t have been avoided in Afghan

“THE IDEA THAT SOMEHOW, THERE’S A WAY TO HAVE GOTTEN OUT WITHOUT CHAOS ENSUING, I DON’T KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENS”

US President Joe Biden said the Taliban are in the midst of an “existential crisis” about their role on the international stage but that he didn’t believe the group had fundamentally changed its course.

“Let me put it this way: I think they’re going through sort of an existential crisis about do they want to be recognised by the international community as being a legitimate government,” Biden told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News in an interview that aired Thursday morning. “I’m not sure they do.”

The president said in the interview that chaos in Afghanistan was unavoidable after the US withdrew troops. Asked if the US exit could have been handled better, Biden said no. “I don’t think it could have been handled in a way that — we’re gonna go back in hindsight and look, but the idea that somehow, there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” he said.

Biden said US troops would remain in Afghanistan until all Americans are able to leave the country — even if it takes longer than his August 31 deadline to withdraw.