Biden: I was totally opposed to occupation and trying to unite Afghanistan

US President Joe Biden has asserted that he was “totally opposed to the occupation and trying to unite” Afghanistan.

In a press conference at the NATO annual summit, Biden said that when Osama bin Laden was killed, American forces should have withdrawn from Afghanistan.

Referring to the war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, he said that he advised the Prime Minister of Israel not to occupy Gaza and make the mistake the US made in Afghanistan.

“When I went to Israel immediately after the massacres that occurred at the hands of Hamas, one thing I said to Israel as a member of the War Cabinet, and with Bibi, don’t make the same mistake America made after bin Laden,” Biden said.

He also stated that he was against efforts to unify Afghanistan because it was impossible.

“I did still get criticized for it, but I was totally opposed to the occupation and trying to unite Afghanistan. Once we got bin Laden, we should have moved on, because no one’s ever going to unite that country,” Biden said.

The presence of American forces in Afghanistan ended after 20 years in August 2021.

Biden has repeatedly defended his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan.

Last month, in a press conference with the president of Kenya, he said that it was highly unlikely that anyone would unite Afghanistan.

He added that there are other ways to control Daesh other than “occupying” Afghanistan.

Related stories:

Biden says there are ways to control Daesh other than occupying Afghanistan

Trump tells Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan was ‘most embarrassing day’ in US history