ABC News’ Martha Raddatz confronted Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Sunday over the United States not starting Afghanistan evacuations much sooner.
There has been criticism — including among people supportive of withdrawing from Afghanistan — over how the Biden administration has handled the withdrawal and the chaotic scenes of people in and around the airport waiting to be evacuated.
Raddatz, who was at the Bagram Air Base weeks ago reporting on the U.S. withdrawal plans, noted to Austin “there were concerns about Afghan interpreters at the point.”
“Whose job was it to worry about those interpreters, those Afghans at risk?” she asked.
“Our goal was to keep the embassy open and also provide a security element in and around Kabul International to protect the embassy and protect our interest in the immediate area,” Austin responded. “In terms of whose job it is, whose job it was to address the special immigrant visa applicants, it’s all of our job. It’s an interagency process that’s really led by the State Department, but it’s all of our responsibility.”
“Are you going to get them all out of there?” Raddatz followed up.
Austin pointed to the thousands of people already evacuated and said “we’re going to try to exceed expectations and do as much as we can.”
At one point Raddatz asked if he wanted to see “a small force remain in
You can watch above, via ABC.