President Joe Biden has continued to take fire for his handling of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and now it just got even worse.
Biden said Friday that Americans were not having difficulty at Taliban checkpoints.
Within a few minutes, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin contradicted him.
“We’re also aware that some people, including Americans, have been harassed and even beaten by the Taliban,” Austin told lawmakers. “This is unacceptable and [we] made it clear to the designated Taliban leader. With the exception of those cases, we continue to see Americans and appropriately credentialed Afghans continue to move through.”
This is not the only example of inconsistent reports and mixed messaging coming from the Biden administration on the Afghanistan crisis.
On Wednesday, Biden appeared to contradict his generals on troops rescuing Americans.
As Biden struggles to get a handle on the situation, the refugee crisis has reached a fever pitch.
Over the weekend, news broke that the Biden administration is considering requiring commercial airliners to fly Afghan refugees out of the country.
Despite all this, Biden projected cautious optimism for the situation in Afghanistan.
“These operations are going — are going to continue over the coming days before we complete our drawdown,” Biden said. “We’re going to do everything — everything that we can to provide safe evacuation for our Afghan allies, partners, and Afghans who might be targeted if — because of their association with the United States. But let me be clear, any American who wants to come home, we will get you home. But make no mistake: This evacuation mission is dangerous. It involves risks to our armed forces, and it is being conducted under difficult circumstances. I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or what it will be — that it will be without risk of loss. But as Commander-in-Chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary.”
