Biden adds forces for Afghan evacuation, defends withdrawal decision
Biden said his administration had told Taliban officials in Qatar that any action that put US personnel at risk "will be met with a swift and strong US military response."
US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he had approved additional military forces to go to Kabul to help safely draw down the American embassy and remove personnel from Afghanistan.
In a lengthy statement, Biden defended his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, arguing that Afghan forces had to fight back against Taliban fighters sweeping through the country.
"Based on the recommendations of our diplomatic, military and intelligence teams, I have authorized the deployment of approximately 5,000 US troops to make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of US personnel and other allied personnel," Biden said.
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A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of the 5,000 Biden announced, 4,000 were already previously announced. About 1,000 were newly approved and would be from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Biden said his administration had told Taliban officials in Qatar that any action that put US personnel at risk "will be met with a swift and strong US military response."
But he also said an indefinite US military presence was not an option.
