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       Joe Biden refuses to take questions after Afghanistan statement

       President Joe Biden will face his first media interview over the situation in Afghanistan later today.

       Between 12pm and 2pm GMT (7am and 9am EST) the president is scheduled to be interviewed by former White House communications director George Stephanopoulos on ABC News.

       We’ll be covering the interview live here.

       Late last night, national security adviser Jake Sullivan clarified remarks he had made earlier regarding getting all American citizens out of Afghanistan, insisting that all Americans would be returned home.

       He said on Twitter: “When I was asked about whether we’re going to get all Americans out of Afghanistan I said ‘that’s what we intent to do’ and that’s exactly what we’ll do and are accomplishing right now with HKIA [Hamid Karzai International Airport] re-opened and operational, thanks to the incredible work of our troops and diplomats”.

       Earlier, during a White House press conference, Mr Sullivan had refused to confirm if US troops would remain at the airport in Kabul beyond the end of August if all Americans had not been evacuated from the country.

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       Key Points Joe Biden to give first interview on Afghanistan All Americans in Afghanistan will be returned home

       Show latest update 1629276210 Video appears to show desperate Afghan filming himself clinging to side of moving plane

       A man appears to have filmed himself along with several others, clinging to the side of a US Air Force plane as it prepares to take off from an Afghan airport.

       Those seen gripping the sides of the plane can be seen waving to crowds along the runway

       Watch: Video appears to show desperate Afghan filming himself clinging to side of moving plane as it prepares for takeoff A man appears to have filmed himself along with several others clinging to the side of a US Air Force plane as it prepares to take off from an Afghani airport.The video is thought to have been filmed at Kabul Airport on August 16 as desperate Afghan’s sought to flee the country after the Taliban claimed the capital city.Those seen gripping the sides of the craft were filmed waving to crowds lining the runway’s tarmac.It comes after a witness on the ground filmed crowds scrambling to climb onto a US military craft as it taxied down the runway.

       Thousands of Afghans are increasingly desperate to flee the country after the Taliban’s victory over Afghan military forces.

       While president Biden has called the anguish of trapped Afghan civilians "gut-wrenching", and acknowledged that the Taliban achieved a much faster takeover than his administration anticipated, he has said that he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw US combat forces from the country.

       Celine Wadhera 18 August 2021 09:43

       1629275130 President Biden ‘takes responsibility’ for Afghanistan decisions

       President Biden “takes responsibility” for all Afghanistan decisions made by the US government amid the Taliban’s sweep to power across the country, the national security adviser has said.

       At a White House press briefing on Tuesday, Jake Sullivan said that the president was “taking responsibility for every decision the United States government took with respect to Afghanistan because as he said, the buck stops with him.”

       He added: “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”.

       Celine Wadhera 18 August 2021 09:25

       1629274050 US government watchdog issues scathing report on America’s efforts in Afghanistan

       A US government watchdog has issued a scathing report on America’s efforts in Afghanistan.

       The report, issued amid chaotic scenes of Afghans trying to flee the country following the Taliban’s capture of Kabul, recaps the “many failures” of the reconstruction efforts in the country over the past 20 years.

       “If the goal was to rebuild and leave behind a country that can sustain itself and pose little threat to US national security interests, the overall picture is bleak,” the report says.

       “The extraordinary costs were meant to serve a purpose – though the definition of purpose evolved over time,” it added.

       Over the two decades the US was militarily engaged in Afghanistan, nearly USD $1 trillion was spent and 2443 US troops lost their lives, alongside 1,444 allied trips, 66,000 Afghan troops and more than 48,000 Afghan civilians.

       Graeme Massie reports.

       US government watchdog issues scathing report on America’s efforts in Afghanistan Special Inspector General for Afghanistan recapped the “many failures” of American efforts in the country

       Celine Wadhera 18 August 2021 09:07

       1629272880 President Joe Biden to give first interview on Afghanistan

       President Joe Biden is scheduled to give his first interview on Afghanistan on Tuesday.

       He will be sitting down with former White House communications director George Stephanopoulos of ABC news to speak about the US troop withdrawal and unfolding situation in the Middle Eastern country.

       The interview is expected to air early in the morning in America, between 7am and 9am EST – between 12pm and 2pm GMT.

       The Independent will be covering the interview live here.

       Celine Wadhera 18 August 2021 08:48

       1629272631 White House aide clarifies comments to insist that all Americans will be brought home

       National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has clarified comments he made earlier, insisting that all Americans will be brought back home.

       Following a White House press conference, where Mr Sullivan refused to confirm if US troops would remain in Kabul to assist with evacuations beyond the end of August, he took to Twitter to set the record straight.

       On Tuesday evening, he tweeted: “When I was asked about whether we’re going to get all Americans out of Afghanistan I said ‘that’s what we intent to do’ and that’s exactly what we’ll do and are accomplishing right now with HKIA [Hamid Karzai International Airport] re-opened and operational, thanks to the incredible work of our troops and diplomats”.

       Graeme Massie reports.

       White House aide clarifies comments to insist that all Americans will be brought back home Jake Sullivan says US will achieve goal with ‘incredible work of our troops and diplomats’

       Celine Wadhera 18 August 2021 08:43

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       Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of US politics and the situation in Afghanistan. Stay tuned for rolling updates with the latest news throughout the day.

       Celine Wadhera 18 August 2021 08:35