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.

he said it is not just about afghanistan. it is really also about ending an era in which america's foreign-policy was predicated on this notion of trying to remake other countries in america's image when something very closely approaching that. he was very clear in future missions, america should basically said very clear, the key word he used, achievable goals. not ones that we will never achieve, that we will not reach. he suggested afghanistan was a war -- the mission was defined as one to topple the taliban, drive out osama bin laden, which was ultimately done. it must has to sized like a cancer and became a mission, a nation remaking mission, a mission that soft a total victory over the perceived adversary, the taliban. and a new and better afghanistan

for the future. he would probably see it as a speech with a large dose of realism and pragmatism looking at the world as it is now, a changing world, where the threats are now different, and multipolar, and all over the place, and to try and move on from what should have been a narrow mission in his view, that was accomplished long ago. he wants to pivot back to his high priorities. afghanistan was never a war he wanted. he argued against it for decades. he saw it as a lost cause. he has been transparent about his desire not to engage in this war. the difference now is he is no longer under barack obama. he is the president. he can actually make those decisions. we saw foreign policy pivot tonight, and a hint of what was to come in his speech from antony blinken, the secretary of

state, suggesting perhaps the decision to draw down will give america time to reflect on its foreign policy and what its real policy objectives should be, and its real national interests. so it is shifting, he is trying to be upfront with the american people. we have already seen the moves from republicans to use it to bash them over the head. they will pick up this theme and run with it in the 2022 midterm elections. you will hear a lot more from his opponents about this decision. from joe biden's perspective, he stuck to his guns, made the right decision for america in a different world, a multipolar world with different threats than it faced 20 years ago. >> you mentioned the targets america was moving toward in the second half of the war in afghanistan. nation building, nation remaking, implementing some sort of afghan democracy, predicting women's rights.

joe biden saying that essentially has failed. but there is very little about what is next for afghanistan, about what will happen in the future for the country. >> there was very little. he tried to convey the sense america will not drop the ball together. antony blinken said america tends to remain deeply engaged. how do you remain deeply engaged in a country in which your embassy is no longer operational, has been shut down and moved to another country? so you don't have 4000 personnel. you now have an empty husk an embassy without diplomats doing the hard, labor intensive, person intensive interaction on the ground with the people in that country. . you can't do much. it is going to be a remote control diplomacy, in a sense. they make sure the taliban is standing by its commitments to not become a breeding ground for terrorists. easier said than done when you

don't have intelligence on the ground and people to give you read tom -- real-time feedback. if the taliban is sticking to their promises. how you verify it in real-time. and also the humanitarian mission. it is a giant question. perhaps where america could at least semi-live up to its word and a time where there is drought, still covid, economic crisis and meltdown about to happen. and a lot of people suffering malnutrition. how can america make sure humanitarian aid gets through to the right people? and that it is not siphoned off? doug herbert with us. thank you. that is all from us. we will have much more news and analysis on this historic moment in our history. but today's focus, which is also on afghanistan.

>> these bikers are all veterans of the u.s. armed forces. some have served for over 20 years, other less. what they are a band of brothers who treated war zones for virginia roads. ♪ james sawyer is a former marine who served or tours in afghanistan. -- is a bomb disposal expert who was seriously wounded. like them, more than 800,000 u.s. troops have been deployed to afghanistan over the past 20 years. writing together reminds them of the camaraderie of the army. ♪ >> this song started playing when we were driving. he sets it off. >> since joe biden announced a

full withdrawal of u.s. troops in afghanistan back in april, kumble and most of the country have fallen to the taliban. the withdrawal was a mistake for sawyer, especially when it comes to fighting terrorism. >> i don't think the job will ever be done. one of the reasons i did what i did for 20 years is to stop it and prevent it from spreading any further. i definitely see it gaining steam and taking over the country of afghanistan and pushing even outside of it. >> he was already serving when terrorists attacked the u.s. in 2001. a life-changing event for him, like many americans. believes this war was unavoidable. >> i think if we didn't, it would have been much worse. even the attacks on the u.s., on september 11, and the other things, if we did not take action, who knows what else could have happened. are we ever going to stop everything? > -- no.

the loss of my friends and marines over there, every single one of us knew exactly what we were getting into. every single one of us knew the sacrifice. do i wish they were here? absolutely, but do i ask myself many times why not me? all the time. >> more than 2300 u.s. military personnel have died in afghanistan since the beginning of the war in 2001. lisa is a gold star mother. her on child, staff sergeant clay bowen, was killed in the line of duty. >> he decided when he was in high school to go into the military. he made a decision to see the recruite i said okay. and he chose infantry. i'm thinking why did you choose infantry? >> infantrymen engage in ground combat on foot, often on the front lines, making it one of the most exposed jobs in the military. this is where he grew up, a room frozen in time. >> the dark red maroon beret.

they look so nice. they hold themselves so proud. i loved him in the uniform. >> he was killed in 2009 impetigo province near the pakistan border. they were patrolling when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb. he was 29 years old. for his mother, it is hard to find meaning in a 20 year long war. >> so many people are angry about it. nothing has changed. different opinions. it is too bad that it happened. no one ever thought it would go on this long. 20 years. so many killed. and i have said to myself i never thought 9/11 would kill my son. >> he's buried at the fort sam houston cemetery in san antonio. she visits his grave regularly. despite her pain, she feels her son did his duty. >> i don't think it was all for

nothing. always been fighting for your freedom. that is about all i know. it is wh it is. it had to be done. at least going to war. i think he did. and the people paid a high price. >> while a majority of americans were in favor of leaving afghanistan, recent polls show a majority criticizing biden's handling of the pullout. in congress, democrats and republicans are worried about the fate of afghans who worked with the u.s. for years and were left hind. >> america is gointo debate our longt war. we will debate it for decades -- decades to come. we are going to talk about the mistakes, successes, the one thing we know to b true is in the next couple of months, we have an opportunity to find some

honor by doing the right thing and standing bpeople whose service and loyalty to this country cannot be questioned. >> democrat jason crow criticized the execution of the withawal, but insists it was the right decision. >> do i think it was too early? no, i supported the withdrawal.ion's decision to in afghanistan.war for 20 years i had been there twice in a combat capacity. if there was a military solution to this, we would have found it a long time ago. >> with no military or diplomatic presence after august 31, the u.s. will have to count on the cooperation of the taliban to live up to its commitment to get all americans and afghan allies out of afghanistan. >> in the democratic republican of combo, -- congo. in constant danger from the unpredictable eruptions of the most dangerous volcano on the planet.

and from the explove gas using from beneath the waters of lake kivu. >>speaking foreign language] >> the ineffectiveness of the dilapidated observatory, which is short of funds and resources. >> journey into the depths of the earth with our report on france 24 and france 24.com. >> you're watching france 24. i'm marco, this is the main headline. u.s. president joe biden has been defending his tactics in afghanistan. the evacuation of 123,000 people and the end of the campan. he was not -- "i was not extending a forever exit," he said. if there is uncertainty for 150 u.s. citizens or more left in

kabul and the thousands of at risk afghans who want to leave. biden says there is no deadline for their withdrawal. our correspondent is one of the few foreign journalists there. we will hear from him in this broadcast. this is live from paris. joe biden has just been speaking about the end of the military campaign in afghanistan. he said the u.s. will continue supporting the afghan people with diplomacy and humanitarian aid. he said it was a war no longer in the service of the american people. he said he was not extending a forever exit. >> the assumption was more than 300,000 afghan national security forces we had trained over the past two decades and equipped would be as strong adversary in their civil wars with the taliban. that assumption that the afghan government would be able to hold on beyond military drawdown

turned out not to be accurate. now we believe about 100 to 200 americans remain in afghanistan, with some intention to leave. the bottom line, 90% of americans in afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to leave. and for those remaining americans, there is no deadline. we remain committed to get them out if they want to come out. >> joe biden speaking a few moments ago. let's go to our washington correspondent, who was watching the u.s. president, listening to his words. joe biden adamant the buck starts with him, and defending what has just gone on. >> yes. it waseally a defense, not only o his decision to withdraw u.s. troops om afghanistan, but his defense of the execution of the pullout, which is really

where the focus and criticism has been, in the handling of the pullout, not necessarily the decision to pull out. he called it an extraordinary success. he said northern nation could have done what the u.s. military did by evacuating those more than 122,000 people. he was really thanking the military officials, the diplomats, all of the people who worked to get those thousands of people out. he also defended the way that he and his administration handled the pullout, saying it was the united states having been prepared for anything that could happen, that there was chaos, but that the u.s. military was ready. he said they were ready for afghan forces not to be able to fight back against the taliban, and ready for the afghan

government to leave and flee the country. he had some very harsh words for the afghan government. but overall, the president really defended his decision, explained it, saying he felt it was time for the u.s. to leave afghanistan, and its mission had been done years ago. but the other half of this speech was really looking forward to what the u.s. engagement with afghanistan is going to look like as we move in the next weeks, the next months, the next years. he insisted that now there was a new view on what his policy would be, that there is a vital u.s. national interest in afghanistan. there is only one, to make sure afghanistan does not become a terrorist attacks on u.s. soil.

that is going to be the focus of the u.s. militaryperations from abroad. but that is really the focus. the other thing he said, and he had a message for isk members, he said "we are not done with you yet." the u.s. president saying he will strike back sometime in the future, he will defend the united states. but he insisted the terrorist threats today was not the same as it was in 2001, and the u.s. strategy to combat it should not be the same as it was back in 2001. >> thank you very much. let's get another view with different allows us -- with different analysis. an assistant in afghan human rights protester was --

we appreciate your time. we would appreciate to hear how you feel at this present moment in time with joe biden praising what has happened, and basically saying it was something that needed to be done because the interests of the u.s. people. >> it was something that needed to be done, but the way it was done, it was horrific, it was inhuman. it ireally bad. it has not ended today. it is going on. the catastrophe has not ended so far. you will not believe that right now, talking to you, my phone is ringing from the calls "we must -- you must save us, what should we do?" there are people scared for their lives. they don't know what is going on. i have been involved on so many taskforces for the last few days, bringing people to the

airport. the situation where you see a president of the united states saying it was a success, we lost more than 300 afghan lives. in the media, 13 u.s. servicemen lost, but we have seen hundreds of children separated from their parents. so many children sent to differt countries aroundhe world. we don't know wheer parents are. they are in afghanistan or did. so much has gone wrong. and going wrong. the second part of what president biden said that we have still not done, we want to keep them accountable. what do you mean we still want to help the afghans left behind or the u.s. citizens left behind? what is the plan? everyone is receiving calls, emails, and different letters that they should come to certain points, safe places to be airlifted. who should these afghan people

believe? are they taliban? are they other terrorist groups collecting people? nothing it's organized, and no one is sure what will happen. the taliban announced women cannot go to universities, because they said school -- classes should be separate from boys and girls. and they don't have women professors and teachers to teach girls differently. so it means they cannot go to schools. and people have reported the taliban have been hitting people while women are not wearing burqas. because we don't have a lot of journalists on the ground, we are not hearing from them. but the situation is beyond what the president of the u.s. might be telling us. therefore, i believe the second part of his speech to get involved diplomatically,e need to have a clear plan. why are we not -- from the u.s

and the rest of the wld that we have ended a war in our country to the taliban, but are we going to let that be a terrorist country? or are we going to work with them to not let that happen? >> one of the problems i think the u.s. has and biden realizes that all accounts have been in the taliban's favor right now, what kind of leverage can be brought onto that remains to be seen. can we ask about your own personal situation? your family is in kandahar, which fell to the taliban. you must have fears for their safety? >> my family, some members are around the world, because they were able to arrive at the airport. some are not. some are still struggling to find safe places. many of my female friends are a high-profile risk in the same situation. . the fear is equal for all

afghans, uncertainty of what will happen. my female friends, doors are being marked by the taliban, or whoever. we don't know why they are marked. we are assuming it means they are coming for them. so this situation is fear, sadness, anger. the world has closed their doors on us. >>hank you for joining us and sharing your thoughts on this moment of the u.s. pulling out. joe biden defending his actions saying the buck stops with him. but many people are at risk, the fate of the country is under question. thank you for joining us. we will continue to report from afghanistan, and stress the fact that there are civilians, afghan civilians losing their lives every day. not just foreign service operators, as our guest was pointing out. the taliban re-taking control of afghanistan.

one of the biggest challenges is fixing the country's economy. the majority of the billions the country holds in foreign reserves now frozen. afghans finding a job, no easy task. brian quinn joins us from our business ask -- business desk. tell us more. > under the u.s. and nato, afghans have been functioning under a multibillion-dollar war economy. with the withdrawal of u.s. forces, that system has essentially collapsed. most afghan banks shut down for weeks as the taliban advanced. they were fearin a run on deposits by worried clients. but the taliban ordered the banks to reopen, imposed withdrawal limits of $230 per customer per week. prices are now soaring on staple goods like lentils, cooking oil, and flour. around 14 million peoplere facing a hunger crisis. salaries are not being paid,

income nonexistent, especially for former government workers in the capital of kabul. a major cast shortage is going on. ratings agency fitch expects the afghan economy to contract 20% over the next two years. this is a country where 40% of the population was already living in poverty before the latest crisis. so afghans are very concerned. >> there are no jobs. that is why the people are worried. the taliban should try to create jobs and open things up for education. bufor the time being there is neither education nor jobs. >> what is behind this cash shortage that is causing so much economic damage? >> the main issue is the near complete halt on foreign aid entering the country. it accounted for fully 48% of afghanistan's gdp last year. in 2009, the figure was close to

100% of foreign grants making up almost three quarters of public spending in recent months. imf has canceled a $450 million transfer. the world bank put on hold over $5 billion in development projects as they assess the risks to social progress over the last two decades that has been made. billion dollars in afghan central bank assets held in the u.s. have been frozen by washington. the u.s. dollars used to prop up the value of the currency, the afghani. these foreign currency reserves are key to maintaining the value of currencies in local economies. especially those that depend on heavy imports. so we are seeing a lack of foreign cash, hitting salaries and the value of the afghani. it is making it harder for afghans to make ends meet. >> what might the future look like for the afghan economy? >> in the short term, the

easiest source of income, foreign income, will be the production of opium poppies. traditionally a large cash crop for afghanistan, not just drugs, but pharmaceuticals. about 85% of the world's opium. longer term, significant natural resources. critically vast mineral deposits the u.s. in 2010 estimated to be worth around $1 trillion. vast copper mines. they also have the world's largest reserves of lithium. it is a key element in manufacturing of electrical vehicle batries going forrd, charging networks for those batteries with copper mines. the problem is, it will require huge investment to get those minerals out of the ground. there's been a lot of talk china could step in with that investment. those kind of extraction operations require a lot of security, stability, both of

which are in short supply in afghanistan at the moment. we will have to see what pans out. >> so potential. clearly what happens politically on the ground, in terms of how the taliban regime -- or government --reacts. will all dictate how this turns out. on top of that, relations with the international community. so many things go through here, differently years. thank you for exposing another 3, 4, 5 of these, which are major obstacles for afghanistan going forward. for ordinary people to get a decent break. we will stay with this and cover every step of it on france 24, hoping for the ordinary afghan people that there is a bright future ahead. clearly it is a very long and winding road. thank you very much. more news to come. stay with us.

the majority teenagers, died in theicabins. our reporters revisit the scenes of the tragedy that traumatized >> revisited, presented

08/31/21 08/31/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> i am here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from afghanistan and the end of the mission to evacuate american citizens, vulnerable afghans. amy: u.s. forces have left afghanistan, ending the longest war in u.s. history. we will go to kabul where we will speak with danish-afghan journalist who once kidnapped by the taliban but later embedded with them on a reporting assignment.