Biden: "Terror Groups Will Pay the Price... Withdrawal Decision Is Right" (Summary)

"Deeply Responsible for the Series of Events"
Emphasizing Terrorist Pursuit While Avoiding Provoking the Taliban
Once Again Defends Withdrawal Decision

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Joe Biden apologized for the death of 12 U.S. soldiers in a terrorist attack at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan and announced an attack against the terrorist group Islamic State (IS).

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

There are concerns that this terrorist attack could throw U.S. Middle East policy into turmoil, but President Biden defended his decision to withdraw troops.

On the 26th (local time), President Biden spoke at the White House and, during a Q&A session, said in response to reporters' questions, "I take full responsibility for the recent events." He once again defended his withdrawal policy, stating, "It is time to end the 20-year war."

He expressed deep condolences for the victims and warned of a strong response. President Biden raised his voice, saying, "The United States is not afraid of terrorism. We will defeat the terrorists and make them pay the price."

President Biden identified IS as behind the attack and vowed to track down those responsible to the end, emphasizing, "We will continue the civilian evacuation operation while planning attacks against IS." He also indicated that the Afghan civilian evacuation operation will continue even after the withdrawal deadline at the end of this month.

President Biden was cautious about linking IS and the Taliban. He said, "There is no evidence yet that the Taliban and IS were connected to this attack," refraining from provoking the Taliban.

Victims of the Kabul airport terror attack are hospitalized.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Regarding the much-discussed extension of the withdrawal deadline, he said, "I have authorized military officials to deploy additional troops if necessary," but since he defended his withdrawal policy, a full-scale delay of the withdrawal is not expected.

After the terrorist attack, President Biden canceled all scheduled events for the day and sought countermeasures. In the morning, he held an emergency meeting with the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During this process, a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, who was visiting the U.S., was postponed by one day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.