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US President Joe Biden and other top administration officials were stunned by the pace of the Taliban’s nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan. However, the planned withdrawal of American forces urgently became a mission to ensure a safe evacuation. The speed of the Afghan government’s collapse and the ensuing chaos posed the most serious test of Biden as commander in chief. He was the subject of withering criticism from Republicans. Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in international relations and has spent months downplaying the prospect of an ascendant Taliban. Top officials in the Biden administration acknowledged they were caught off guard with the utter speed of the collapse of Afghan security forces. The challenge of that effort became clear after reports of sporadic gunfire at the Kabul airport prompted Americans to shelter as they awaited flights to safety.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “We’ve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated”. The turmoil in Afghanistan resets the focus in an unwelcome way for a president who has largely focused on a domestic agenda that includes emerging from the pandemic, winning congressional approval for trillions of dollars in infrastructure spending, and protecting voting rights. Biden remained at Camp David on Sunday and received regular briefings on Afghanistan. He conducted secure video conference calls with members of his national security team. The Biden administration released a single photo of the president alone in a conference room meeting virtually with military, diplomatic, and intelligence experts. The next several days would be critical in determining whether the US is able to regain some level of control over the situation.

The Pentagon and State Department issued a joint statement and said, “We are completing a series of steps to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport to enable the safe departure of the US and allied personnel from Afghanistan via civilian and military flights”. President Biden also ordered another 1,000 troops into Kabul to secure the evacuation. Biden is the 4^th US President to confront challenges in Afghanistan and has insisted he wouldn’t hand America’s longest war to his successor. But the president will likely have to explain how security in Afghanistan unraveled so quickly. Last week, Biden publicly expressed hope that Afghan forces could develop the will to defend their country. But administration officials warned that the military was crumbling. Gen. Mark Milley said that US officials are expected to alter their earlier assessments about the pace of terrorist groups reconstituting in Afghanistan.