London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 20, 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Biden says there's no way US could have withdrawn from Afghanistan 'without chaos ensuing'

Biden says there's no way US could have withdrawn from Afghanistan 'without chaos ensuing'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

0:00
0:00
Close
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
UK Retail Sentiment Improves as Summer Spending Boosts Consumer Confidence
UK Aid Cuts Draw Warnings From Charities Over Humanitarian Consequences
UK Financial Conduct Authority Issues Guidance for Motor Finance Redress Scheme
UK Met Office Launches Aviation Programme to Reduce Climate Impact of Persistent Contrails
Former UK Civil Service Chief Received Record 500,000 Pound Severance Payment
West Midlands to Bring Bus Network Under Public Franchising Model
UK Government Drops Plan to Relax Affordable Housing Requirements After Backlash
UK Reaffirms Military Support for Ukraine Despite Russian Hybrid Warfare Threats
UK Technology Sector Expands Nearly 8 Percent as Digital Industry Outpaces Wider Economy
UK Drought Threatens Harvests Across England and Wales as Food Inflation Risks Persist
UK Government Pledges 442 Million Pounds to End Rough Sleeping by Christmas
UK Government Signals Willingness to Reconsider Digital Services Tax Amid US Tariff Threats
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9 Percent as Energy Costs Threaten Economic Recovery
NHS Hospitals Cancel Surgeries as Extreme Heat Pushes Ward Temperatures Above 40 Degrees Celsius
UK Heatwave Forces Emergency Measures as Wildfire Risk, Hospital Disruption and Drought Intensify
A Sleepless Night on Wall Street: Nasdaq to Begin Nearly Round-the-Clock Trading
"The First in the World": 69-Year-Old Protested Artificial Intelligence—and Went to Jail
Ukraine's Ousted Defence Minister Calls for Wartime Presidential Election
UK Marks Ten Years of Night Tube as London Weekend Usage Exceeds Eighty-One Thousand Journeys a Night
Met Office Issues Thunderstorm Warnings Across Northern Ireland Over Flash-Flood Risk
Frasers Group Raises Stake in Hugo Boss to Nearly Forty-Eight Percent
Scottish Clyde Marine Pilots Prepare for Strike That Could Disrupt Glasgow and Greenock Shipping
Twenty Passengers Injured After Southern Train Derails Near Lewes in East Sussex
Government Rules Out High-Speed Rail Revival Between West Midlands and Northern England
West Midlands Bus Network Returns to Public Ownership in Twenty-Four Million Pound Deal
UK Competition Watchdog Targets Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Drip Pricing
Northern Ireland Health Minister Mike Nesbitt Resigns After Dispute Over Causeway Hospital Surgery Closure
UK Long-Term Government Bond Yields Rise to Five Point Eight Five Percent as Borrowing Costs Surge
UK Government Overhauls Planning Rules to Push Housing Development Near Major Transport Hubs
UK Health and Economic Pressures Highlight Wider Strain on Households and Public Finances
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Reaffirms Full Support for Ukraine Amid Russian Warnings
Sainsbury’s Suspends Live Facial Recognition at London Store After Customer Misidentified
Artists Urge UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Reject New North Sea Oil and Gas Licensing
UK Government Awards Four Hundred and Fifty-Six Million Pound Civil Service Training Contract to EY and KPMG
Global Government Bond Yields Rise as Middle East Conflict Fuels Inflation Concerns
British Housing Market Records Weakest August Since Two Thousand and Eighteen as Asking Prices Fall
UK Announces New Sanctions on Russian Shadow Fleet and Financial Institutions
UK Approves Virgin Rail Group Services Through Channel Tunnel, Challenging Eurostar
UK Government Backs Three Hundred Million Pound AI Investment Zone in North Lanarkshire
UK Declares National Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Imported Eggs
China’s Lifelike AI Humans Move From Livestreams Into Real-World Service Roles
UK Government Rolls Out £5.8 Billion Regional Investment Programme to Revive High Streets
×