White House hasn't faced 'true worst-case scenario' in Afghanistan

While the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorated much more quickly than the Biden administration expected after the Taliban launched their offensive earlier this month, a senior White House official told The Washington Post that the United States has not faced its "true worst-case scenario."

Those fears reportedly would have been realized had U.S. forces had to fight their way out of the embassy in Kabul to evacuate government officials, the Post writes. The second part of that scenario did happen, but the evacuation was "a noncombatant operation," which is something the Pentagon reportedly prepared for during an exercise on Aug. 6.

Because the White House was able to avoid a conflict within the embassy, the administration has now turned its focus to providing security to Kabul's airport and aiding evacuation flights for Afghan civilians and American citizens who live in Afghanistan, the official said. Read more at The Washington Post.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up