President Joe Biden vows to safely evacuate all US citizens and allies from Afghanistan

President Joe Biden has vowed to ensure the safe evacuation of U.S. citizens and U.S. allies from Afghanistan through the ongoing U.S. operation at Kabul airport.

In a speech delivered by the White House, Biden said the United States has evacuated more than 18,000 people since July and about 13,000 since the airlift began on Saturday. "Allies, partners and Afghans who can be targeted because of their association with the United States," Biden said.

He promised to bring to the United States "all Americans who want to come home."

"I can not promise what the end result will be ... But as Commander-in-Chief, I can ensure you that I will mobilize all the necessary resources."

Biden stated that his priority is to evacuate American citizens, but helping Afghans who have helped the United States is "equally important soon."

Thousands of Afghans - some with travel documents, some without - drove outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) and asked to be allowed at gates handled by the United States and other international forces. . To get there, many dared a gift from the Taliban checkpoints; a number of people were beaten or trampled.

The United States has made "important progress" in its evacuation work since chaos erupted at the airport on Monday, Biden said.

"This is one of the largest, heaviest aerial lifts in history. And the only country in the world that can project so much power to the far side of the globe, with this degree of precision, is the United States," he said. U.S. President added.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in a flash that saw them reach Kabul on Sunday with government troops crushed and President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country.

U.S. troops remained under HKIA control to evacuate American and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, and other Afghans in danger who worked with the U.S. or its allies in fields that could make them Taliban targets.

Washington set a deadline of August 31 to withdraw its forces, but Biden has previously said that U.S. troops will remain till the end of the month - if necessary - to evacuate all U.S. citizens.

The U.S. President defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan as well as the way in which the withdrawal took place, denying that the chaos that accompanied the Taliban takeover could be avoided.

Biden accused the Afghan government of not defending its territory against the Taliban.

But reports on intelligence assessments and cables from the U.S. embassy show that U.S. officials warned the administration more than a month ago of the possibility of a speedy Taliban takeover.

On Friday, Biden again supported his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the country. "What interest have we had in Afghanistan at this point with al-Qaeda?" he said, emphasizing that U.S. allies did not question Washington's credibility after the withdrawal. But there has been criticism from European leaders of the withdrawal in the U.S. deal with the Taliban, which it was before.