♪ brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. president biden has address the nation, hailing a successful airlift after the last u.s. troops leave afghanistan. he takes responsibility for his decision to end the war, saying it was the right choice, but the taliban claim the victory for themselves as they take full control of the kabul airport in the country with plans to form a government in the coming days. also coming up, we will take a

look at the lives of uprooted by the taliban takeover, those who managed to flee afghanistan as well as those who lost their lives trying. and on a mission to convince afghan descent to keep the borders open and to help evacuate the remaining foreign nationals who want to leave. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on the united states and around the world, welcome. president biden showed no signs of regret for his decision to withdraw from afghanistan as he addressed the nation tonight. he said that he had no choice but to end what he called a forever war, after 20 years of conflict that ended with the taliban terrorists back in power. here's what he had to say about the evacuation of the last american troops last night. pres. biden: so we were ready

with afghan security forces after two decades of fighting for thr country and losing thousands of their own, did not hold on as long as anyone expected. we were ready when the people of afghanistan watched their own government collapse and the president flee amid the corruption and malfeasance, handing over the country to their enemy, the taliban. that was the choice, the real choice, between leaving or escalating. i was not going to extend this forever war. and i was not extending a forever exit. the decision to end the military lift operations at kabul airport was based on the unanimous recommendation. brent: that was president biden a few moments ago with firm defense of his exit strategy

from afghanistan. to discuss his speech and the historic nature of today i'm joined by william and our correspondent in washington. the president making clear that as he sees it, and as he is being advised, boots on the ground military presence in foreign countries is no longer the way to fight a war against terror. what do you make of that? >> right, he said that this is the end of an era, that the united states, at least under his watch, won't have boots on the ground to build nations to bring democracy to the world. he made it crystal clear that it is only about the interest of the american people, that it was never the case that they wanted to help afghan people in afghanistan, but only to fight terrorism and prevent another terror attack being conducted or planned in afghanistan.

so that was a very, very strong defense of his decision to withdraw all the troops from afghanistan and it was crystal clear the way he mentioned donald trump, that he wanted to send a message to his critics here in the united states that it was not only his idea, but also the idea of president donald trump to end this war and that president trump negotiated with the taliban and allowed 5000 taliban prisoners to leave prison, so he really drew a bigger picture but again, crystal clear with his decision to withdraw all american troops from afghanistan by last night. brent: he was trying to refresh the memory of americans that this is not a war he started, this is a campaign that he inherited and he was going to

keep his promise to end it, and that he has done. >> correct, if we go with president's logic or his reasoning, if he were president in 2012 are to 16, maybe we would be seeing this then. we don't know what the u.s. military involvement in afghanistan would look like if he were the president before. we know that he is on record for at least a decade for saying he was against this. he was a senator and chairman of the foreign relations committee for many, many years. he was part and parcel of u.s. foreign policy for decades. he was not the guy at the very top making the ultimate decisions, but he had a lot of influence in guiding american policy. so i think that is a very important point to make, that biden didn't just show up on the scene and say, let's get out of afghanistan. it's not the war he began but he

was part of the policymaking and part of the echo chamber that we are learning about about the overly optimistic understanding of the capacity of the afghan government security forces. brent: it was interesting that the president was laying down these lines about what can and cannot be criticized. for example, saying it was the largest airlift of people in human history. he said the afghans themselves did not fight against the taliban, and he said the u.s. has warned americans 19 times to get out of the country. so in other words he is saying it didn't happen overnight. william: weeks ago at a press conference he said there is no way it will in chaotically, the taliban will in no way be able to take over the country this quickly. he is also on record for saying all those things. this has not happened overnight, this has been 20 years of u.s. involvement in afghanistan.

many of the things we are hearing from joe biden in 2021 are -- were matters of debate can 2001 and into thousand five and in 2010. what exactly is the u.s. mission there? joe biden was saying no more nationbuilding. the argument was that only by building this country into democracy can you present terror. brent: the president also mentioned china and russia, saying they would love to see the u.s. continue its presence to stay bogged down in afghanistan. what does this mean geopolitically? are we looking at the emergency of a new foreign doctrine for the united states? >> it sounds like it, but we shall see how this works out. as william just pointed out, biden is also changing -- the

doctrine is too big a word, but he could also argue the other way around. what would it mean if china really gets involved with the taliban government in afghanistan? and maybe being supported by russia, will this be really better for the united states? this speech for me was mainly offending his decision and reaching out and trying to convince those who criticize him about not taking enough action to get all-americans out. as you just pointed out yourself, he set a couple of times that the americans in afghanistan were warned enough and that obviously, as he says, many of them didn't want to leave and that 90% of all american passport holders wanted to leave the country are out of afghanistan. so this was mainly defending his decision and campaigning already

for the midterms, because i'm sure that afghanistan will be playing a big role next year in november at the midterm elections. brent: that's a very good point to make. to both of you, thank you. the chaotic scenes of the final u.s. troop withdrawal unfolded at the kabul airport and the whole world saw what happened there. president biden praised the military for completing one of the -- the largest airlift in human history, but it was the taliban who celebrated a final victory at the end of this to decades long conflict. in the rest of the capital city in kabul, the mood was more somber, as every day afghans try to continue their lives, despite the uncertainty about what is to come. reporter: there is no doubt who

is in control here. taliban fighters parade their win on the tarmac of kabul's international airport. some even taking selfies from the cockpit of an abandoned aircraft. >> thank god. first of all, i would like to say that afghanistan is finally, in every sense, free and independent. and our forces are controlling the military and civilian parts of the airport. normal activity at the airport will be started very soon. reporter: close by, military aircraft, some apparently disabled in the rush by american troops to get out of afghanistan, as fast as possible. just hours earlier, the commander of the 82nd airborne division became the last u.s. service member to leave. that prompted celebratory

gunfire at the airport to mark the ending of this better twenty-year -- bitter twen-year war. >> thank god that we took our country's independence, all afghanistan people are happy and share their happiness with us. reporter: taliban soldiers may be enjoying their victory, but the chaos of the last few days has been left plain for all to see. long queues continue to build up outside kabul's banks. and there isn't a woman insight. the taliban is expected to form a government within the next few days. a chastened international community says it is helpful it won't be as extreme as fead. but on the ground, it is clear who holds the power. brent: our journalist joints me

now from kabul. you woke up today in kabul, this is the first day without a u.s. presence in two decades. what has it been like? franz: first, people probably woke up in the middle the night when all around the city, the taliban and open celebratory gunfire, including with heavy machine guns. they woke up again in the morning, most just continued life as usual. when i was in the city center in the morning, shops were open, people were on the street, maybe fewer than usual, but one would not have noticed that something historic has happened the night before. it seemed all quiet and rather normal. the people i talked to were not in a jubilant mood. they were rather worried and

some asked me how they might be able to leave. i had to tell them that there was not much of a reasonable way at the moment. others were worried because they said their business is not running, customers are not as many as before, no matter what stores we are talking about. most were worried about what the future brings and not celebrating the victory. there have been celebrations, but they seem at least to some extent staged by the taliban. brent: what about being a journalist in this old-new afghanistan now? it comes with risks with the taliban being in control. are you worried about your safety? do you feel the situation has changed for you as a reporter? franz: i'm not worry that much. e situation has certainly

changed, but it's not like -- some things have become easier and some things have become difficult or rather will become more difficult. so far the taliban haven't really announced new rules or new laws, so they have taken -- they have overthrown the old order, but they haven't replaced it yet with a new one. at the moment, the kind of let everything continue, daily life and so on, as it used to be before. this of course will change because the taliban have made clear that they want to change the system of the state and the laws, but how radical it will be, only the future can show. brent: the kabul airport has been at the center of this story now for the past two weeks. the taliban today were

announcing victory. they are on the tarmac. but do they have the know-how to actually operate an airport? do they know what it is like to operate and police airspace over the city? franz:he taliban themselves, arguably not. but they try to get people to that, not only for the airport. they are calling on government employees in all parts to rern to work, exactly because they don't have the expertise for many things regarding the airport, there are credible reports that they are in contact -- most likely in some form they will help the taliban to get the airport running again. this is in the interest of everyone, the international

community also wants a running airport for diplomatic and humanitarian engagements. the taliban wants it to be connected to the outside world for prestige reasons. it is more likely they will get external support to get the airport up and running again. brent: franz marty joining us tonight from kabul, in a country that for the first time in 20 years has no u.s. military presence. the completion of the u.s. troop withdrawal from afghanistan also ends a chaotic and dangerous evacuation effort. more than 100,000 afghans have flown to countries around the world to start new lives or to be reunited with their loved ones. however, many more have been left behind, some in the most tragic of circumstances. >> this taekwondo champion went to kabul airport in the hope of starting a new lif instead, his family are left

morning a life cut short. he'd come to the airport to register himself because he heard an announcement that anyone who is a sportsman or former government employee, that they would take them out of the country. >> he was among those killed in last week's terror attack. another victim of the very violence he s tryingoscape . he leaves behind two-year-old sarah and her big brother zahid. he hasn't spoken since the explosion. >> it was a really bad tuation. he just wanted to getut of the country. he wasn't alone in that. many other people want to leave because of the insecurity here. >> mohammed and his family are among them. they got out just a day before

the bomb attack. for the 20-year-old who has known only a taliban free homeland, leaving hi bittersweet. >> i love afghanistan so much. that's where i have my friends and my relatives. and now we are leaving for a country where we don't have anyone. there will just be the 14 of us. we won't have anyone to share our happiness or sadness. >> she and her family ran from the taliban, too. they heard the explosion as they began their journey to albania. >> there are times in your life when you feel guilty for being alive. that could have been us. >> on the streets of paris, the relief looks like this. living in france, she spent day frantically arranging for her mother and siblings to be airlifted out. >> all the feafell away.

i took her in my arms d i could feel the warmth. i rediscored themell of my mother. it's something i had forgotten. >> if any moment could convey just what is at stake, perhaps it is is embrace of a mother and daughter, just grateful to hold each other again. brent: germany's foreign minister is winding up four days of talks with countries bordering afghanistan, likely to help with ongoing evacuations. history began in turkey, which is playing a role in the reception of refugees and ended today in qatar, a transit point that is close to isis in the west and also close to the taliban. reporter: when the german

foreign minister arrived in turkey on sunday, american troops were still on the ground in kabul. now they have left, and that could trigger all sorts of shifts across the region. the visit was intended to say affected countries will not be left without help. >> how can we guarantee humanitarian aid for people in afghanistan goes where it should? how can the countries in the region be best supported so that they do not feel the results of this crisis directly? we must answer all these questions together, and germany is prepared to play a very active and constructive role >> the message was repeated for the uzbek authorities. the government there confirmed it would allow those identified by germany s at risk to travel on.

berlin says about 40,000 afghans may require safe passage. there are hopes that some may yet be able to leave by air. >> as soon as kabul airport is operational again, we will create air core doors like we did with the military evacuation to bring german nationals, local staff and other vulnerable people we have identified to germany. plans are in the pipeline to bring all afghanistan -- together to discuss how to deal with the new regime. there is concern the situation could worsen. >> this is a pivotal moment in afghanistan's history. humanitarian assistance must flow. reporter: first of all, there are promises from the taliban. we will find out in the coming

days and wks whether they are credible. the german foreign minister's final stop was no hot in qatar or germany's ambassador has been negotiating with -- was doha. he thanked them for the contact and said in the end, there will be no alternative to talks with afghanistan's leaders. brent: how will germany and all of the european union union deal with what is said to be an influx of refugees? they have been meeting to discuss what to do about migrants from afghanistan. our correspondent in brussels has been following these talks. has there been an outcome to this meeting? reporter: the new home affairs ministers reiterated their pledge that they want to take out all the coworkers and former contractors in afghanistan and

their families, but it is not clear how they will do that and how many people are concerned with this. ther are estimateshat germany alone has to get out 10,000-40,000 people, but there are no official estimates, that you does not want to say what they are planning for because this number would make the situation more insecure, is what brussel says. the messages stay where you are, we will help you in your country or in the region. this is what the e.u. is promising now. they want to work with pakistan, iran and other neighboring countries to feed afghan refugees and they also want to continue the immediate food aid in afghanistan so that people can stay there and will not try to get to europe. this is what the new wants to prevent, that people start

trying to go with smugglers to europe like it was in the syrian conflict in 2015. thminister says they want to avoid another migration crisis like they have seen i2015 because it is not only dangerous for afghans, of course, but it is also dangerous for that you because the e.u. has -- hat -- has no recipe for how to distribute all these migrants should they come to the border of the european union. brent: that is what was witnessed in 2015 and now in 2021, there is our disagreements within the eu about what to do with these migrants. >> the bitter conflict within that you erupted in 2015 and has not been -- that erupted within the eu, like austria, poland,

the czech republic and hungary come a they don't want to take any migrants, and other groups like greece, italy, and spain that are taking most of the migrants and don't want them anymore. there are some like germany and others in the middle that are taking migrants, but lots of them claim they have too many to feed and to house. so the main focus is now to prevent migration and to close the borders and some ministers like one from luxembourg say it is a pity that europe is looking away and now is talking about closing borders in the middle of this imminent crisis. brent: our correspondent with the latest in brussels. as always, thank you. to the tokyo paralympics where a photo finish decided the women's 100 meter t 47 final. it was a showdown for gold

between the american and venezuelan. here you can see just how close the race was, all the way to the finish line. it was initially unclear who had won the race, but it showed the venezuelan crossing the line first to win gold in 11.90 seconds. and another record-breaking day, taking gold in the women's javelin f56. this 24.5 meter throw. this is how she celebrated winning a new world record. china continues to top the medal table after claiming gold in the women's discus. there was a new world record. here is a reminder of our top

story at this hour. u.s. president biden has addressed the nation, hailing a successful airlift after the last u.s. troops and personnel left the country last night. he took full responsibility for his decision to end the 20 years of conflict that concluded with the taliban coming back to power in afghanistan. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." our coverage continues of the beginning of the end of america's longest war in afghanistan. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

where he was talking about, in his view, the original mission statement, which was eliminating the immediate threat to america and her friends, as he put it. was basically accomplished over a decade ago, that this war should have ended then. the problem was the hubris. in american foreign policy time and again. going in, intervening in foreign lands. sending american boots on the ground in order to reinvent countries, draft a western vision of democracy. he was very clear about this.