Washington (AP) — President Joe Biden said U.S. military operations in Afghanistan would end on August 31, at the expense of more American lives, even if he frankly admitted that he had “no mission.” Without doing so, he argued that the war of almost 20 years would end. The “achieved” moment to celebrate.

Biden disagreed with the idea that the US mission had failed, but also said it was unlikely that the government would control Afghanistan as a whole after the US left. He urged the Afghan government and the Taliban to reach a peace agreement, saying it was as formidable as it was before the war began.

“We didn’t go to Afghanistan to build the country,” Biden said in a Thursday speech from the White House’s East Room. “Afghan leaders must get together and run towards the future.”

The recent administration has sought to put together an end to the conflict as a decision made after Biden concludes that it is a “war that cannot be won” and that “there is no military solution.” On Thursday, even though the Taliban made rapid progress in a significant area of ​​the country, he amplified the legitimacy of his decision.

“Are you willing to risk thousands and thousands of more American daughters and sons?” Biden told those who called on the United States to expand its military operations. He added, “I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan. There is no reasonable expectation of achieving different results.”

The new withdrawal date is after former President Donald Trump’s administration has negotiated with the Taliban to complete US military missions by May 1. After taking office, Biden announced that the US military would withdraw by the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001. An attack planned by Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan, who was given shelter by the Taliban.

With the rapid withdrawal of US and NATO allies last week, there has been growing speculation that US military operations have virtually ended. However, by setting August 31 as a drawdown day, the administration nodded to the reality that a long war was in its final stages, providing a cushion to address open issues.

The administration has not yet completed talks with Turkey on arrangements to keep Kabul Airport safe, and has yet to reveal details of the potential evacuation of thousands of Afghans who supported U.S. military operations. ing.

Biden said prolonging US military involvement would lead to an escalation of attacks on the US military and NATO allies, given that Trump had already agreed to withdraw the US military.

“The Taliban would have begun to target our army again,” Biden said. “Maintaining the status quo was not an option. Staying meant that the U.S. military would cause casualties. American men and women. Returned to the midst of a civil war. And the rest of the army. You risk the need to send more troops back to Afghanistan to protect. “

The president added that there was no “mission accomplished” moment as the US war ended.

“The mission was accomplished in that we got Osama bin Laden and terrorism did not originate from that part of the world,” he said. US troops killed bin Laden in 2011.

The US military has vacated Bagram Airfield this week. This is the epicenter of the conflict in the United States to hunt down the perpetrators of the 2001 terrorist attack Al Qaeda, which banished the Taliban and caused the war.

The rest of the US military is currently concentrated in the capital, Kabul. The Pentagon said General Scott Miller, Afghanistan’s commander-in-chief, will end his mission tour this month as he is finally preparing for a reduced U.S. military mission. Stated.

Biden, who answered a question from reporters after Thursday’s remarks, said Kabul’s fall into the Taliban was unacceptable. The president also opposed the idea that such a scenario was certain.

“Do I trust the Taliban? No,” Biden said. “But I trust the ability of the Afghan army to be better trained, better equipped and more capable in waging war.”

Indeed, the West wants the Taliban’s interests to be primarily confined to rural areas, and the Afghan government and its allies to maintain control of the cities inhabited by much of Afghanistan’s population. The Taliban remains a major country in Afghanistan, but government supporters have stated that Afghanistan’s role in Afghanistan’s post-US power structure is partly internationally justified through political rather than military means. We hope to resolve it through the induction of sexuality, assistance and other assistance.

Reporters asked if the rampant corruption within the Afghan government was the cause of the failure to achieve the kind of stability that his predecessor and U.S. military commander envisioned, but Biden accurately understood the concept. Did not reject. “The mission hasn’t failed yet.”

Biden continues to face pressure from parliamentarians, calling for more details on how to help thousands of Afghans who helped the US military in translators, drivers, and other jobs. Many fear that they will be targeted by the Taliban once the US withdrawal is complete.

The White House states that the government has identified US facilities outside the Americas and third countries where evacuated Afghans may stay while visa applications are being processed. Biden added that 2,500 Afghans have been granted special immigrant visas since taking office in January.

Nevertheless, the president faced Republican criticism following his speech.

Michael McCaul, Texas, a top Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “But there are good plans to keep US diplomats and Afghan partners safe, rather than taking advantage of the opportunity to reassure the American people. President Byden only offered more empty promises. And there was no detailed action plan. “

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the U.S. military is considering several overseas locations around the world as temporary locations for Afghans waiting for visas. So far, not many people have decided to leave Afghanistan, so they can’t be handled by a variety of facilities.

“Our message to those women and men is clear,” Biden said. “If you choose so, the United States has a home for you. We stand with you, just as you stood with us.”

Biden, as a senator, said he was skeptical of how much the United States could achieve in Afghanistan and advocated a narrower, coordinated mission. He was somewhat uncertain about whether the cost of the war was worth it, but claimed that the US objective had been completed long ago.

“We went for two reasons, one to take Osama bin Laden to the Gate of Hell, as I said at the time,” Biden said. “The second reason was to eliminate al-Qaeda’s ability to deal with more attacks on the United States from its territory. We have achieved both of those goals.

“That’s why I believe this is the right decision and, frankly, it has been postponed.”

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Associated Press writer Ellen Nickmeier of Oklahoma City and Lolita C. Val-d’Or of Washington contributed to the report.