Biden claims Afghans were reluctant to leave. A hefty visa backlog suggests otherwise.

President Biden on Monday addressed questions about why the United States didn't begin evacuating Afghan civilians sooner now that many who want to leave remain in Kabul, which is again under Taliban control.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.