As Afghanistan plunged into crisis following Taliban takeover, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, on Tuesday, that the US President Joe Biden is taking responsibility for every decision the American government took regarding Afghanistan. Sullivan, while . addressing reporters, said: “President Biden is taking responsibility for every decision the United States government took with respect to Afghanistan because as he said, the buck stops with him.”
“I am also taking responsibility, and so are my colleagues, the secretary of state, the secretary of defence, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the directors of our intelligence agencies. We as a national security team collectively take responsibility for every decision — good decision, every decision that doesn’t produce perfect outcomes — that is what responsibility is,” Sullivan added.
Afghanistan descended into chaos after the Taliban took control of the capital city, Kabul and the government led by President Ashraf Ghani collapsed. As the security situation in the country deteriorates, US President Biden was criticised as violence in Afghanistan escalated only after American announced troops withdrawal.
Sullivan said that the Biden administration is in contact with the Taliban about the situation in Afghanistan. “We are engaging diplomatically at the same time with allies in regional countries and the United Nations to address the situation in Afghanistan. We’re in contact with the Taliban to ensure the safe passage of people to the airport.”
Sullivan said that the White House is also monitoring for any potential terrorist threats, including from ISIS. “We intend to continue these operations over the coming days before completing our drawdown,” he said.
The US has proved that it can suppress terrorism without a permanent military presence on the ground, said Sullivan. “We have proven in other places that we can suppress terrorism without a permanent military presence on the ground and we intend to do exactly that in Afghanistan,” he said. “Washington is working to help its allies in Afghanistan and get their citizens out,” he added.