President Joe Biden has described the US evacuation from Afghanistan as an "extraordinary success" despite being hit with heavy criticism over the past few days.
The United States completed its evacuation of Afghanistan on August 30, and on August 31 Biden publically spoke about the withdrawal for the first time.
"We completed one of the biggest airlifts in history," Biden said, per Reuters.
"No nation has ever done anything like it in all of history; only the United States had the capacity and the will and ability to do it."
The president went on to explain that despite the evacuation deadline having passed, around 200 US citizens remain in Kabul and every effort is being made to secure their evacuation should they wish to leave.
"I was not going to extend this forever war, and I was not extending a forever exit," he insisted.
The president then addressed ISIS-K militants, who claimed that they were behind last week's deadly terrorist attack at Kabul airport, saying: "We are not done with you."
Biden's bold description of the US troop withdrawal comes after widespread criticism of the evacuation, with EuroNews reporting that many have questioned why the last US airlift left on August 30 when it could have been extended for another day.
Biden was also slammed for not extending the August 31 deadline, or beginning the evacuation sooner, as he addressed this in yesterday's speech.
"I take responsibility for the decision. Now some say we should have started mass evacuations sooner and couldn't this ... have been done in a more orderly manner. I respectfully disagree," he said from the White House State Dining Room.
Biden then directed attention to his predecessor Donald Trump's actions, saying that brokered a deal that authorized the release of 5,000 prisoners - many of whom were top Taliban officials.
"By the time I came to office, the Taliban was in its strongest military position since 2001, controlling or contesting nearly half of the country," he said.
A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday, August 30, found that less than 30 percent of Americans approve of Biden's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.