This archive report was first published on 9 July 2021.
US President Joe Biden has defended the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, saying it was 'not inevitable' that the country would fall to the Taliban.
Speaking at the White House on July 8, 2021, Biden acknowledged that a unified government controlling the entire country was 'highly unlikely', but expressed faith in Afghan forces who have been trained by and received equipment from the United States.
'The status quo is not an option,' Biden said. 'I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan.'
He also rejected comparisons with the US experience in Vietnam, saying 'The Taliban is not the North Vietnamese army.'
Meanwhile, fighting raged for a second straight day in the capital of Afghanistan's Badghis province, with terrified residents either fleeing or locking themselves inside.
Since the US ramped up its withdrawal, the Taliban have launched a blistering campaign to capture new territory, and fears are mounting that Afghan forces will collapse without vital American air support.
On July 7, 2021, plumes of smoke billowed over Qala-i-Naw, soundtracked by gunfire as the insurgents fought hundreds of Afghan commandos rushed to the city overnight.
Qala-i-Naw resident Aziz Tawakoli said Taliban fighters were still roaming the city, while Badghis health official Abdul Latif Rostaee said at least 10 civilians had been taken to hospital since the fighting erupted.
