President Biden Vows to Continue Evacuations, Hunt Down Those Who Orchestrated Terrorist Attack at Kabul Airport
Evan James
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“It’s been a tough day,” President Joe Biden began his address following the suicide bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Speaking from the White House, Biden said the situation on the ground is still evolving and he’s receiving constant updates. He called all American service members in Afghanistan “heroes” and said his heart aches for all the families, American and Afghani, who lost loved ones. The American service members who died, he said, gave themselves in the service of “liberty, security, and the service of others.”
Biden added that evacuations will continue through August 31 and his administration is devising “operational plans” to strike ISIS-K, who has reportedly claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks.
“To those who carried out this attack, we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down to make you pay,” he said. “I’ll defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command. […] We will respond with force and precision, the place we choose, at the moment of our choosing. These ISIS terrorists will not win.”
Following the speech Biden and the press gaggle observed a moment of silence. Then the president took questions, though not before bizarrely opening a binder and announcing that his team gave him a list of reporters to call on:
Biden also got into a bit of an argument with Fox News reporter Peter Doocy after Doocy asked him about the responsibility he takes for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden replied that he does take responsibility, but he added that terrorist attacks didn’t take place for so long because former president Donald Trump had made a deal with the Taliban in 2020.
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There were even a couple awkward moments throughout the briefing. President Biden began his speech slowly and with much throat clearing, then ended the press conference portion with a long silent stare into the camera.
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