Biden says he thinks about 13 US troops killed in disastrous Afghanistan pullout ‘every day’ in likely final speech to UN
President Biden told the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday that he thinks “every day” about the 13 Americans who died in a suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport during the botched pullout from Afghanistan — hours before a House committee moved to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt for failing to give testimony on the attack.
“Thirteen brave Americans lost their lives, along with hundreds of Afghans, in a suicide bomb. I think [of] those lost lives — I think of them every day,” Biden, 81, said in what he promised would be final speech to the UN — stumbling slightly over his script.
Biden called proceeding with the August 2021 fiasco “a hard decision, but the right decision” during the 24-minute address, which touched on major conflicts and global health concerns, as well as the rise of artificial intelligence.
The Afghanistan withdrawal is an election-year issue as Republicans accuse the White House of stonewalling inquiries into how an ISIS-K terrorist was able to blow himself up on Aug. 26, 2021, at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport, which was mobbed by throngs of desperate Afghans seeking to flee the Taliban.
The House Homeland Security Committee voted 26-25 Tuesday afternoon to advance a motion holding Blinken in contempt for skipping out on a subpoena for his testimony to instead attend UN events in New York.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has latched onto the attack as the epitome of overseas ineptitude by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic presidential candidate after party leaders forced Biden to drop his campaign for a second term.
Blinken, meanwhile, presented himself as unfazed by the House inquiry — watching Biden’s speech in the UN chambers after tweeting an informal video from his motorade in Manhattan saying “the United States is in a stronger position than it’s been to lead around the world” under Biden.
The State Department has described itself as cooperative with congressional investigations regarding Afghanistan — with spokesman Matt Miller last week citing the scheduling conflict.
“The secretary is willing to come and testify before that committee,” Miller said. “Obviously they can’t just set a date when he has scheduled meetings to go [to and] participate in a Security Council meeting.”
Meanwhile, Biden mentioned Harris just once in his speech to the General Assembly — crediting her with backing Ukraine against the nearly three-year-old Russian invasion of its neighbor.
“When Russia invaded Ukraine, we could have stood by and merely protested. But Vice President Harris and I understood that that was an assault on everything this institution was supposed to stand for,” he said.
Biden then called for continued support for Kyiv, imploring delegates: “We cannot grow weary. We cannot look away. And we will not let up on our support for Ukraine, not until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace [based] on the UN Charter.”
The president also demanded an end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East — despite the remote possibility of a cease-fire agreement being reached before the end of his term.
“The world must not flinch from the horrors of October 7th. Any country — any country would have the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack can never happen again,” Biden said. before adding moments later that both the families of hostages held by Palestinian terror group Hamas and “innocent civilians in Gaza” were “going through hell.”
“I put forward with Qatar and Egypt a cease-fire and hostage deal,” he added. “It’s been endorsed by the UN Security Council. Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home, en- — secure security for Israel, and Gaza free of Ha- — of Hamas’ grip, ease the suffering in Gaza, and end this war.”
Biden also used his speech to refer to AI as a potentially malevolent force for mankind.
“Nothing is certain about how AI will evolve or how it will be deployed,” he said. “As AI grows more powerful, it must grow more responsive to our collective needs and values … not to give dictators more powerful shackles on the human spirit.”
Biden predicted that “there may well be no greater test of our leadership and how we deal with AI.”
The American president wrapped up his speech by calling on the world’s assembled tyrants and their emissaries to reconsider their grip on power — citing his own decision to relinquish his party’s presidential nomination July 21 after other Democratic leaders revolted out of concern about his mental acuity.
“This summer, I faced a decision whether to seek a second term as president. It was a difficult decision. Being president has been the honor of my life. There is so much more I want to get done,” Biden said.
“As much as I love the job, I love my country more. I decided after 50 years of public service, it’s time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward.”
“My fellow leaders, let us never forget, some things are more important than staying in power,” the president added without any hint of irony. “It’s your people that matter the most. Never forget we are here to serve the people, not the other way around.”
