"I've not seen a questioning of our credibility by our allies," Biden told reporters Friday at the White House. "The fact of the matter is, I have not seen that. Matter of fact, the exact opposite."
Biden then shifted to his rationale for the withdrawal, jumping over its botched execution, from the East Room, where he stood flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
"We went to Afghanistan for the express purpose of getting rid of al Qaeda in Afghanistan, as well as getting Osama bin Laden," he said. "And we did that."
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During his second Afghanistan speech and first time addressing topics and questions from reporters on a list after the Western-backed government's collapse, Biden said the Group of Seven world leaders would convene next week to discuss a "united approach" to the removal.
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"We went in together and we're leaving together," Biden said of his NATO allies. "And now, we're working together to bring our people and our Afghan partners to safety."
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Biden did not talk with the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson until Tuesday, two days after the Taliban entered the Afghan capital of Kabul and deposed Afghan Prime Minister Ashraf Ghani fled. The president later chatted with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, according to White House records of the discussions.
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"There'll be plenty of time to criticize and second-guess when this operation is over, but now, let's focus on the mission," he said.
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International leaders have outspokenly slammed Biden's mishandling of the troops' departure. German politician Armin Laschet, Merkel's heir apparent, outlined the situation as "the greatest debacle that NATO has seen since its foundation," calling it "an epochal change that we are facing."
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Up to 15,000 Americans and 65,000 Afghans seeking special visa status in the United States need to be removed from Hamid Karzai International Airport before Biden's Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.
Biden failed to verify those numbers Friday but said 5,700 had been removed in the last 24 hours, 13,000 since Aug. 14, and 18,000 since July, despite delays earlier in the day because of a transit backlog. He also downplayed the logistical nightmare of driving to the airport as the Taliban fix their checkpoints around the airfield.
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“Let me be clear: Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home," Biden said.
"I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or that it will be without risk of loss,” he added. “But as commander in chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary."
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