Biden adds forces for Afghan evacuation, defends withdrawal decision
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he had approved additional military forces to go to Kabul to help safely draw down the American embassy and remove personnel from Afghanistan.
In a lengthy statement, Biden defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, arguing that Afghan forces had to fight back against Taliban forces sweeping through the country.
"Based on the recommendations of our diplomatic, military and intelligence teams, I have authorized the deployment of approximately 5,000 U.S. troops to make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of U.S. personnel and other allied personnel," Biden said. The troops will also support evacuation of some Afghans going through a special visa program.
A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said of the 5,000 Biden announced, 4,000 were already previously announced. About 1,000 were newly approved and would be from the 82nd airborne division.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/biden-adds-forces-for-afghan-evacuation-defends-withdrawal-decision/ar-AANkjrr