And he said continuing the evacuation would prove to the rest of the world that “what America says matters.”
“They made it clear that we can and we must complete this mission and we will, and that’s what I’ve ordered them to do,” Mr. Biden said of his military advisers. “We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.”
Mr. Biden said that the United States would continue to try to help Americans and others escape Afghanistan after the military leaves the country, in part by seeking to cooperate with the Taliban in bringing them out. He said that the Taliban, at least for now, appeared to be interested in cooperating with the United States and other Western nations.
The Taliban, Mr. Biden said, are eager for economic aid and other help as they try to once again rule the country in the months ahead. That gives the United States leverage over the Taliban that could help in finding and evacuating Americans and other personnel, he said.
“There’s a lot of reasons why they have reached out, not just to us, but to others as to why it would be continued in their interests to get more of the personnel we want to get out,” he said.
Understand the Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan
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Who are the Taliban? The Taliban arose in 1994 amid the turmoil that came after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. They used brutal public punishments, including floggings, amputations and mass executions, to enforce their rules. Here’s more on their origin story and their record as rulers.
Who are the Taliban leaders? These are the top leaders of the Taliban, men who have spent years on the run, in hiding, in jail and dodging American drones. Little is known about them or how they plan to govern, including whether they will be as tolerant as they claim to be.
What happens to the women of Afghanistan? The last time the Taliban were in power, they barred women and girls from taking most jobs or going to school. Afghan women have made many gains since the Taliban were toppled, but now they fear that ground may be lost. Taliban officials are trying to reassure women that things will be different, but there are signs that, at least in some areas, they have begun to reimpose the old order.
In the past week, as Mr. Biden defended the way his administration has handled the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, he vowed that “any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with a swift and forceful response.”
It was unclear on Thursday whether a military response of any kind was already in the works. But military officials said that U.S. troops on the ground had the capacity to strike back while also securing the airport.