US president Joe Biden on Friday said that any attack on American forces by the Taliban would result in a “swift and forceful response.”
Biden’s warning to the Taliban has come amidst the evacuation operation being carried out by the US army in Afghanistan. The US president also said that his administration is keeping a “laser focus on the counterterrorism mission.”
Biden has found himself in a big political crisis as the Ashraf Ghani government fell in a matter of days, contrary to the 90 days prediction the US intelligence agency made. He has backed himself for the removal of US troops from Afghanistan claiming that the US finished its "mission" in the country after eliminating the al Qaeda outfits there.
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The US has also ramped up its security amongst airports to monitor and eliminate any terrorist activities.
"We made clear to the Taliban that any attack, any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with a swift and forceful response," Biden told reporters at a White House news conference. "I've said all along, we're going to retain a laser focus on our counterterrorism mission, working in close coordination with our allies and our partners and all those who have an interest in ensuring stability in the region."
Biden further discussed the NATO meeting that was held with the US allies. The US President talked with his counterparts in Germany, Britain and France over the security concerns and discussed strategies to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base to launch terror attacks around the world.
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He also said that further discussions on the matter will be held next week when the G7 meeting will be convened.
Biden clarified his position on the retrieval of troops from Kabul and said that everybody knew his stand on this situation. He then went on to explain the monetary cost that the US was pumping through.
"You've known my position for a long, long time," Biden continued. "It's time to end this war. The estimates of the cost of this war over the last 20 years range from a minimum of $1 trillion to a think tank at one of the universities saying $2 trillion. That somewhere between $150 million a day and $300 million a day."
