'You have given our country back to savages': Afghan-Americans tear into Biden's troop withdrawal in White House protest as Kabul crumbles
Hundreds of Afghan-Americans protested outside the White House on Sunday, chanting 'Biden you betrayed us' and 'You sold out our people' after the Taliban took over the conflict-ridden country now named the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
President Joe Biden addressed the nation late afternoon Monday, defending the US troop withdrawal after a barrage of criticism for remaining at Camp David while US embassy personnel were evacuated by helicopter and burned valuable documents to keep them out of Taliban hands.
'We will continue to support the Afghan people, we will lead with our diplomacy,' he said in his first public address since the Taliban's takeover. 'We'll continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people - for the rights of women and girls.'
'No amount of military force would ever deliver a stable and secure Afghanistan – called the Graveyard of Empires.'
Biden also pledged the US would continue to 'speak out' for human rights - but that may not be enough for those who know the Taliban's brutal tactics.
'We've been handed over back to savages,' one woman told Fox News on Sunday.
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Afghans and Afghan-Americans gathered in Washington, DC to demonstrate on Sunday
Hundreds of people demanded Biden take responsibility for the botched evacuation and levy sanctions on Pakistan for financial support for the Taliban
People chanted 'save Afghanistan' and 'Biden, you're responsible' on Sunday
Another broke down in tears, telling the outlet 'My family is there. All my people is there. They’re killing all my people.'
One woman told Fox, 'They're raping our women, they're killing our children. They have no mercy on anyone.'
'We will not trust you! You abandon allies! You made a deal and sold out Afghanistan!' crowds chanted this weekend.
The Taliban made a stunning advance across much of Afghanistan in the last week as US troops left in time for Biden's August 31st deadline.
On Sunday they took Kabul and promised a peaceful transfer of power along with retribution for those who helped the US.
Biden defiantly defended his decision in remarks at the White House on Monday
Taliban insurgents took Kabul at the end of a lightning fast offensive that ramped up in the final weeks of the US and NATO withdrawal
Hundreds of Afghan civilians were left trapped with nothing to do but wait at Kabul airport for a flight out of their war-torn homeland
VIDEO: "Biden, you betrayed us!" chanted Afghan Americans protesting outside the White House this afternoon as the Taliban completed its takeover of Afghanistan.
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) August 16, 2021
"Biden, you're responsible!"
"Save Afghanistan!"#Afghanistan #AfghanistanBurning #SaveAfghanLives pic.twitter.com/cGdWDCBzW3
VIDEO: "Biden, you betrayed us!" chanted Afghan Americans protesting outside the White House this afternoon as the Taliban completed its takeover of Afghanistan.
"Biden, you're responsible!"
"Save Afghanistan!"#Afghanistan #AfghanistanBurning #SaveAfghanLives pic.twitter.com/cGdWDCBzW3
But reports from Kabul roughly a day later paint a different picture with insurgents looting homes and performing targeted killings.
At least eight people have died amid chaos at Hamid Karzai International Airport as Afghan civilians and foreigners try desperately to escape.
Two armed Afghans were shot by US soldiers and three people who held onto military planes as they took off plunged to their deaths.
Others are still attempting to rush to the airport for safety after the Taliban took every border crossing and left the facility the only remaining NATO-held area.
One young adult speaker in DC Sunday told the crowd that three of his uncles, all journalists and government workers, were killed by the Taliban in the last year.
Young Afghan Americans led chants and shared their families' stories in DC
Emotions ranged from outraged to devastated as many wondered what would happen to their families back in Afghanistan
Some were in tears over concerns for relatives and friends trapped in Afghanistan
One young man said three of his uncles - journalists and government workers - were killed by the Taliban in the last year
He said his remaining uncle is choosing to stay in Afghanistan to take care of his deceased brothers' children.
'That's how every single youth in Afghanistan is. They got the courage,' the man said.
His speech was met with demands from the crowd to sanction Pakistan, calling the country 'terrorists.'
Crowds demanded Biden sanction Pakistan for what they called its 'proxy war' over some Pakistani entities providing funding for the Taliban.
'We’re all incredibly disappointed in President Biden and the administration for pulling out all the troops from Afghanistan literally overnight,' one woman said.
Another speaker said Biden failed his oath of office by failing Afghans.
Speakers took turns expressing their anger, fear and resentment at the US government's hasty evacuation
'They're raping our women, they're killing our children. They have no mercy on anyone,' one woman said of the Taliban
US officials said they are currently working to continue their evacuation and will get as many people as possible out of the country
Many people gathered in DC Sunday worried for the future of women and girls under the Taliban's brutal rule
'What happened, Joe Biden? It was not so long ago you took that oath. Today, you are betraying that oath,' he said, adding that he fought in Operation Enduring Freedom - the government's official name for the War on Terror from 2001 to 2014.
'I was there on the front line. We were fighting. What happened?'
Demonstrators marched through the US capital, chanting 'Free, free Afghanistan' and demanding Biden take accountability.
'Our women, our children, where is US aid? All this money, where is this aid? They're burning us!' one woman can be heard shouting.
Both Democratic and Republican officials joined Afghans' criticism of the US evacuation - while many agreed with the decision to withdraw troops after 20 years, thousands of deaths and more than $80 billion spent, the hasty retreat while leaving hundreds of helpless civilians and thousands of Afghans who worked with the US military and now have targets on their backs behind drew outrage.