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Biden snapped at a reporter when asked about Afghans clinging to US Air Force planes out of Kabul

Aug 19, 2021, 20:04 IST
Business Insider
President Joe Biden. Alex Wong/Getty Images
  • Biden got defensive when asked about people clinging to planes in Kabul to escape the Taliban.
  • He immediately interrupted, saying: "That was four days ago, five days ago."
  • He also doubled down on his defense of how the withdrawal was handled.
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President Joe Biden snapped at a reporter who asked him about the footage of people in Afghanistan clinging to the outside of planes in a bid to escape the country.

In an interview aired Tuesday, ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked Biden about the chaotic and wildly criticized withdrawal and the Taliban's takeover of the country.

In response, Biden defended the way the withdrawal unfolded, doubling down on his earlier claims that the Afghan military was not willing to fight the Taliban.

Stephanopoulos then asked: "But we've all seen the pictures. We've seen those hundreds of people packed into a C-17. We've seen Afghans falling - "

Biden then interrupted him, saying "That was four days ago, five days ago." The footage was widely shared Sunday and Monday.

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Watch the moment around the 45-second mark here:

Stephanopoulos asked: "What did you think when you first saw those pictures?"

Biden responded: "What I thought was we have to gain control of this. We have to move this more quickly. We have to move in a way which we can take control of that airport. And we did."

People were seen climbing the jet bridge to force their way onto a plane, and another video showed people clinging to the outside of a C-17 plane in desperation as it moved down the runway.

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