Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Aug 14, 2026

Biden says there's no way US could have withdrawn from Afghanistan 'without chaos ensuing'

Biden says there's no way US could have withdrawn from Afghanistan 'without chaos ensuing'

"The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens," Biden told ABC News.

President Joe Biden in a new interview on Wednesday continued to defend his administration's handling of the Afghanistan pullout amid a humanitarian crisis to evacuate fleeing people.

Speaking to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Biden rejected the criticism that the US's military withdrawal has been bungled after the Taliban seized control of the country over the weekend.

"So you don't think this could have been handled — this exit could have been handled better in any way, no mistakes?" Stephanopoulos asked Biden.

"No," Biden responded. "The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens. I don't know how that happened."

Biden's comments come as he faces immense public backlash over the US's exit strategy. Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike have expressed frustration over the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and have slammed the Biden administration. Lawmakers have also called for an investigation into the situation to better understand what went wrong and why the US had not been more prepared for the Afghan-government collapse.

Critics began sounding off on Biden soon after the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital on Sunday. Photos and videos showed Afghans scrambling to leave the country and packing into cargo planes. Some footage showed Afghans clinging to and falling from a moving plane at the Kabul airport.

Stephanopoulos pressed Biden on the scenes, saying: "We've all seen the pictures. We've seen those hundreds of people packed in a C-17. We've seen Afghans falling."

Biden interjected and claimed "that was four days ago, five days ago," although the photos were actually taken on Sunday and Monday.

Biden told Stephanopoulos that they will try to get US troops out of Afghanistan by the August 31 deadline, but will stay past that until all Americans leave the country.

Biden first defended his Afghanistan strategy in a speech on Monday. He acknowledged the "gut-wrenching" scenes coming out of Kabul and said the US will continue to transport American citizens and Afghan refugees out of the country.

The president has also come under attack for not evacuating Afghan refugees sooner, considering the threat of the Taliban. But Biden stood by that position on Monday and said the Afghan government discouraged a "mass exodus," which would trigger a "crisis of confidence" in country's government. The collapse of that government Sunday triggered chaos as thousands of people tried to flee.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Donald Trump Warns FIFA Against Ousting Gianni Infantino Amid Revolt by Global Football Leaders
Jeff Bezos Joins Investor Group Closing In on $6 Billion Liverpool FC Stake
UK Councils to Receive Sweeping Planning Powers to Ban New Vape and Betting Shops
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Australian Crew Evacuates Seriously Ill American From Antarctica in Midwinter Darkness
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
US Health Secretary: “I’m Not Afraid of Germs — I Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats”
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
HMRC’s 2029 Tax Shift Could Overlap Old and New Self-Assessment Bills
Thetford Disorder Prompts Expanded Police Powers Amid Asylum-Housing Protests
Cambridge Faces Calls for Independent Review of Jason Arday Appointment
Scotland’s ‘Cock of the North’ Woodland Is Being Felled After Wind Damage
Reform UK and Greens Unite Against Vast Solar Plans for Kent Marshland
New Zealand Draws Wealthy Americans With Revamped Investor Visa
Senate Panel Votes to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt After Fifth Amendment Testimony
Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Resigns as University Opens Inquiry Into His Credentials
Manchester Power Failure Disrupts Trains Across North West Into Friday
Lightning Strike Kills Yala FC Player During Match in Southern Thailand
Senate Scrutinises AI-Driven Personalised Pricing
Spain Seeks Mainland Transfers for 1,100 Children Stranded in Ceuta
Spain and Morocco Trade Blame After 72,000 Migrants Enter Ceuta
×