we spent over a trillion dollars
we trained and equipped an afghan
military force
with some 300 000 strong
incredibly well equipped
a force larger in size than the
militaries of many of our nato allies
we gave them every tool they could need
we paid their salaries
provided for the maintenance of their
air force
something that taliban doesn't have
taliban does not have an air force
we provided close air support
we gave them every chance
to determine their own future
we could not provide them
was the will to fight for that future
but if afghanistan is unable to mount
any real resistance to the taliban now
there is no chance
that one year
one more year five more years or 20 more
years
the u.s military boots on the ground
would have made any difference
here's what i believe
to my core
it is wrong to order american troops
to step up when afghanistan's own
armed forces would not
the political leaders of afghanistan
were unable to come together for the
good of their people
unable to negotiate for the future of
their country when the chips were down
they would never have done so while u.s
troops remained in afghanistan bearing
the brunt of the fighting for them
so i'm
left again to ask of those who argue
that we should stay
how many more generations of america's
daughters and sons
would you have me send to fight afghan
afghanistan's civil war
when afghan troops will not
how many more lives american lives is it
worth
how many endless rows of headstones is
arlington national cemetery
i'm clear on my answer
i will not repeat the mistakes we've
made in the past
mistake of staying and fighting
indefinitely
in a conflict that is not in the
national interest of the united states
of doubling down
on a civil war in a foreign country
of attempting to remake a country
through the endless military deployments
of u.s forces
we will continue to support the afghan
people
we will lead with our diplomacy our
international influence and our
humanitarian aid we'll continue to push
for regional diplomacy and engagement to
prevent violence and instability
we'll continue to speak out for the
basic rights of the afghan people of
women and girls
just as we speak out all over the world
over the coming days we intend to
transport out thousands of american
citizens
who've been living and working in
afghanistan
we'll also continue to support
the safe departure of civilian personnel
the civilian personnel of our allies
who are still serving in afghanistan
operation allies refugee
which i announced back in july
has already moved 2 000 afghans who are
eligible for special immigration visas
and their families to the united states
in the coming days
the us military will provide assistance
to move to move more siv eligible
afghans and their families out of
afghanistan
i know there are concerns about why we
did not begin evacuating
afghans civilians sooner
part of the answer
is some of the afghans did not want to
leave earlier
still hopeful for their country
and part of it because the afghan
government
and its supporters discouraged us from
organizing the mass exodus to avoid
triggering as they said
a crisis of confidence
as we carry out this departure
we have made it clear to the taliban
if they attack our personnel
or disrupt our operation
the u.s presence will be swift and the
response will be swift and
forceful
we will defend our people with
devastating force if necessary
we have to be honest
our mission in afghanistan is taking
many missteps made many missteps over
the past two decades
i'm now the fourth american president
to preside over war in afghanistan two
democrats and two republicans
i will not pass this responsibly on
responsibility onto a fifth president
i will not mislead the american people
by claiming that just a little more time
in afghanistan
will make all the difference
nor will i shrink from my share of
responsibility for where we are today
and how we must move forward from here
i am president of the united states of
america
and the buck stops with me
i'm deeply saddened by the facts we now
face
but i do not regret my decision to end
america's warfighting in afghanistan and
maintain
a laser focus on our counterterrorism
missions there and other parts of the
world
i cannot and will not ask our troops to
fight
on endlessly another in another
country's civil war
taking casualties
suffering life-shattering injuries
leaving families broken by grief and
loss
this is not in our national security
interest
it is not what the american people want
it is not
what our troops who have sacrificed so
much over the past two decades deserve
i made a commitment to the american
people
when i ran for president
that i would bring america's military
involvement in afghanistan to an end
it's been hard and messy
and yes far from perfect
i've honored that commitment
more importantly
i made a commitment to the brave men and
women who served this nation
that i wasn't going to ask them to
continue to risk their lives in a
military action that should have ended
long ago
our leaders did that in vietnam when i
got here as a young man
i will not do it in afghanistan
i know my decision will be criticized
but i would rather take all that
criticism
than pass this decision on to another
president of the united states yet
another one a fifth one
because it's the right one it's the
right decision for our people
the right one for our brave service
members to risk their lives serving our
nation
that's the right one for america
thank you
may god protect our troops our diplomats
and all brave americans serving in
harm's way
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