Biden: US presence in Afghanistan increases the chances of ISIS attacks
US President Joe Biden said, on Tuesday, that the longer the United States stays in Afghanistan increases the chances of its forces being attacked by ISIS.
Biden added, in a speech on the latest developments in Afghanistan, that the air bridge led by his country to evacuate its citizens and nationals of Western countries and Afghan citizens who cooperated with it must end soon.
He noted that the longer the United States remained in Afghanistan, there was a “severe and increasing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K” or ISIS’s Khorasan Province.
“ISIS Khorasan seeks to target Kabul Airport, US forces, and innocent civilians.” the US president added.
He continued: “Every day we are on the ground is an additional day in which we know that ISIS-K Khorasan State seeks to target the airport and attack the American and allied forces.”
He stated that he directed the preparation of contingency plans in anticipation of a decision to extend the evacuation mission from Kabul, noting that the leaders of the Group of Seven agreed to be prepared to confront the threat of terrorism around the world.
He explained that the evacuations from Kabul are intensifying dramatically and that thousands have been evacuated within hours, pointing out that the Taliban movement has taken steps to help the United States evacuate its forces and citizens from Afghanistan.
Biden pointed out that the completion of the evacuation mission from Kabul airport is conditional on the continued cooperation of the Taliban and not obstructing the process.
He stressed that his country will continue efforts to evacuate its collaborators from Afghanistan and that all Afghans who will be allowed to enter the United States will be subjected to a security check first.
Biden pledged to continue providing humanitarian aid to the Afghan people despite the Taliban’s control of the country.
He pointed out that the movement will be dealt with according to its behavior and actions, not its words, stressing that the leaders of the Group of Seven agreed to unite on the position of the Taliban.
