Thread by @AFP

#BREAKING Biden says 'nation building' was never a US goal in Afghanistan

#BREAKING Biden says US will 'act quickly' against terrorism in Afghanistan 'if needed'

#BREAKING Biden says stands 'squarely behind my decision' in Afghanistan

#BREAKING US gave Afghan military 'every chance' against Taliban: Biden

#BREAKING Biden acknowledges Afghan collapse was quicker than expected

BREAKING China, Russia 'would love' indefinite US quagmire in Afghanistan: Biden

#BREAKING Biden pledges to 'speak out' for Afghan women under Taliban

#BREAKING Biden threatens 'devastating' response if Taliban attack US interests

#BREAKING Biden leaving White House to return to Camp David retreat: officials

#UPDATE US President Joe Biden said Monday that a longer war in Afghanistan would have benefited China and Russia, even as his top diplomat consulted the two adversaries on the swift Taliban victory u.afp.com/UKsp

Afghanistan since the Soviet occupation.

#AFPgraphic timeline of main developments in Afghanistan since the Soviet occupation

VIDEO: Thousands flock to Kabul airport, trying to flee the Taliban as the group's feared hardline brand of Islamist rule patrols Kabul after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war

Allies round on US over Afghanistan 'debacle'.

Allies and critics alike have condemned the US over its 20-year NATO campaign in Afghanistan, with a leading German politician slamming the operation as "the biggest debacle" in the alliance's history

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'Not an enemy' any more: Russia courts the Taliban.

While many countries scrambled to empty their embassies and remove their staff from Afghanistan, Russia is staying put - and the Taliban is 'guarding their diplomats'

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French nationals and their Afghan colleagues line up to board a French military transport plane at Kabul airport on August 17, for evacuation from Afghanistan after the Taliban's stunning military takeover of the country

At the Pentagon, US military officials bitter as they watch the chaos in Kabul.

“We warned them for months, for months” that the situation was urgent, one military official says on condition of anonymity

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'Shocking': Grief and dismay as US veterans watch Afghanistan fall.

"I was in favor of the withdrawal, I thought it was time. 20-plus years, billions of dollars spent, I never expected the speed and the brazenness of the Taliban would be what it is"

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VIDEO: 🇺🇸 President Joe #Biden has defended the withdrawal of US troops from #Afghanistan, saying he stood "squarely behind" his decision to leave after 20 years of conflict, in his first public appearance since the Taliban seized control of the country