Biden defiantly defends Afghanistan exit: 'I make no apologies for what I did'

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 19 January 2022

President Biden held a press conference on Wednesday, marking the end of his first year in office, and offered a firm defense of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"I make no apologies for what I did," Biden told reporters. His administration drew scrutiny for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in August, only for the Taliban to rapidly take control of the country, with some critics arguing the U.S. should have known how quickly the government would fall without American support. But Biden suggested Wednesday there was nothing else that could have been done to bolster Afghan allies.

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He also suggested it was not the responsibility of the U.S. to fix Afghanistan's challenges, just as it cannot fix every other problem worldwide. "Do I feel badly about what's happening as a consequence of the incompetence of the Taliban? Yes, I do," he said. "But I feel badly also about the fistulas still taking place in eastern Congo. I feel badly about a whole range of things around the world ... we can't solve every problem."

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.

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