Deadline for evacuations to end and for all u. S. Troops to withdraw from that country. It is believed that less than 250 americans remain in afghanistan. In the next Hour Secretary of state Tony Blinken will deliver remarks on the next stage in those efforts to evacuate americans and our allies from afghanistan. We will bring those remarks to you live when they begin. Earlier today the pentagon announced that 1,200 people have been flown out of afghanistan in just the last 24 hours. And then in total more than 116,000 people have been evacuated from afghanistan just since august 14th. It is likely to go down in history as one of the largest airlifts ever. Looming over this operation in its final hours is the threat of more attacks by isis. Just today u. S. Forces intercepted a barrage of rockets aimed at Kabul Airport. That comes on the heels of a Drone Strike by the u. S. Targeting a vehicle that was carrying explosives and foiling a bomb plot. That strike reportedly killed ten civilians including children. Here at home a painful reminder of the cost of the war as President Biden paid his respects on sunday to the 13 u. S. Service members killed in last Weeks Suicide Bombing just outside Kabul Airport. The Washington Post reports this. Quote, we first met privately with their Family Members including some who have expressed anger at him, and then watched quietly as the flagdraped cases transporting the bodies were carried off a plane. A somber moment during the most volatile crisis of his presidency. And as we barrel towards the end of americas 20year presence in afghanistan, there are important questions about how the u. S. Handles the multiple crises coming out of that country now including the Terror Threat posed by isis and the continuing flood of afghans hoping to escape taliban rule. One of the most visible symbols of americas 20year engagement in afghanistan, the 15acre u. S. Embassy In Kabul, staffed by more than 4,000 people just two weeks ago that stood as the symbol of Americas Engagement in the country will be closed. Secretary of state Tony Blinken is promising that there will still be a way out for afghan allies who remain in the country. In terms of having an on the ground diplomatic presence on september 1st, thats not likely to happen. But what is going to happen is our commitment to continue to help people leave afghanistan who want to leave and who are not out by september 1st, that endures. Theres no deadline on that effort. And on the Intelligence Front The New York Times is reporting on the cias dramatically shifting mission. American officials are Reworking Plans to counter threats that could emerge from afghanistans chaos. Thats according to current and former officials negotiating for new bases in Central Asian countries determining how clandestine officers can run sources without the military and diplomatic outpost that is provide a covered disguise for two decades and figuring out where the cia could launch Drone Strikes on other afghanistan operations. The end of the War In Afghanistan and the future of Americas Presence in the region is where we start this hour. Courtney kube joins us and yamish alcindor, moderator of Washington Week and an msnbc contributor, washington Investigative Correspondent for The New York Times is here. His byline is on that piece of Reporting And Claire mccaskill is here, an msnbc political analyst. I want to start with you, Courtney Kube, and play a little bit of Pentagon Spokesman John Kirbys Sound from this afternoon. For americans and other individuals that want to be able to leave afghanistan after our withdrawal is complete, that the State Department is going to continue to work across many different levers to facilitate that transportation. And as i said earlier, right now we do not anticipate a Military Role in that effort. And, courtney, its my understanding that this hour we will receive some sort of confirmation that what John Kirby is talking about, the end of the Military Operation will be announced. Reporter were all sort of waiting right now to see when we will get the final confirmation that all u. S. Troops have left there, and i think one reason you may be thinking its coming is its midnight right now In Kabul. Its past midnight, actually, In Kabul. We are on deadline day. The Question Everyone has been asking here, when exactly does the final deadline actually occur . Is that midnight going into the 31st or is it midnight from the 31st into the 1st . What is clear right now, nicolle, we are in the final hours of the u. S. Military presence after two decades of having a military at war. And the last several days have been very have had serious military concerns operating out of that airport. The reason there isnt a whole lot of information about these last couple of days and the final Military Presence there is because of that security concern. Theres a real worry about the last troops who are there operating at the airport getting ready to leave. Theres a threat from isisk, a continuing and persistent threat according to Defense Officials, of suicide vests, vehicleborn explosive devices, somebody detonating a vehicle, and still a very real concern about rockets and particularly these modified rpgs that theyre worried isis militants may try to fire at any of these aircraft. Those are the ones that have been briefed here, openly briefed, from the pentagon that are the security concerns they have right now and theyre only accelerating as the u. S. Is nearing the end of their presence there. Yamish, i heard a similar sort of list of concerns from a senior white House Official and i want to play you some of what Jen Psaki had to say about what has clearly and tragically deteriorated on the Security Side over the last 72 hours. As i said last week a day or a week where you lose 13 Service Members is the worst day or the worst week of your presidency, and that remains the case. And yesterday, and ive seen him since he, of course, went to dover yesterday, he, of course, was deeply impacted. He knows firsthand that Theres Nothing you can say to a family member. Theres nothing you can say to someone who loses a child that is going to fill the Black Hole. That remains the case. If you take a step back beyond yesterday, the president stands by his decision to bring our men and women home from afghanistan because if he had not, his view and the view of many experts and military out there we would have sent Tens Of Thousands potentially or thousands more troops back into Harms Way risking more lives and more people to fight a war the afghans were not willing to fight. Yamiche, this is not a talking point. This is what this president believes to his core. This is what the white House Staff believes to their core, that this president was not going to look the american people in the eye, they werent going to look at more military families and ask them to serve one more month, one more year in this country, and, on our way out we have suffered one of the most horrific and tragic attacks since that war began. Tell me about this sort of mixed i guess you could call it an accomplishment, ending this war along with the tragedy that accompanies it. Well, it is a mix because there is this tragic, of course, history now of these 13 american soldiers having lost their lives in this final winding down of this 20Year War. But what Jen Psaki said and what ive heard from white House Officials over and over again is the president really believes what he said at the end of one of his remarks and it is it was time to end this 20Year War. The president says the responsibility is with him. The buck stops with him. He understands he has critics. He understands some of those critics are people in his own party as well as veterans who are concerned about the way this Evacuation And Withdrawal happened, but the White House has stood firm on the Idea President biden feels like this was the way that he wanted to do this, the way that he had to do this, and he said things get messy. He also said sometimes people get Left Behind. I think it was striking and hard for americans to hear, veterans ive talked to, to hear the president said not every Military Operation ends with getting the people that you want out. You also have, apart from this tragedy of the 13 u. S. Troops who died, you have afghans who helped america, contractors and others who helped america, that are going to be Left Behind in afghanistan. And when i posed the question to jen how many people are we leaving behind and what are we going to do for those people, her answer to Me Today was america still has a commitment to those people. Theyre still going to be trying to get them out. Of course we still have to see how that actually happens, what that looks like. We wont have a diplomatic footprint in that country. There are challenges ahead, but President Biden is saying this is my decision. I did not want to send anyone else to afghanistan. And when you think about how long President Biden took to become president , all of the things he lived through, the foreign Policy Experience that he had, he wanted to do this and he did it. Mark, you write about one of the things that we leave behind is a more complicated Intelligence Mission. And if you can do a little bit of Story Telling in what you mean. I mean, spies do operate sometimes under and within an embassy or a diplomatic post. Can you talk about how the Intelligence Community is having to shift and, you know, its my understanding they were aware the taliban taking over was a real and viable prospect, but that the speed with which it happened may have caught even some folks in the Intelligence Community by surprise. Right, nicolle, probably the most succinct way to put it the War In Afghanistan will continue. It will be done much more in secret. The cia over the last 20 years has really transformed from primarily being an Espionage Service into this mission that several president s have given it to Man Hunt and kill and be a Counter Terrorist Organization and this machinery has been built over time. And i think that the Chaos Weve seen in recent weeks and what is projected is a signal of what will actually be a large part of the Cias Mission for a long time. There will be intelligence gathering, as you said. They cant do it from embassies anymore. They used to be able to operate from not only the u. S. In kabul but military bases around the country. Those dont exist anymore. They will have to find other bases in the region to be able to run sources. Theyre going to have to use electronic eavesdropping. Theyre going to potentially use drones. This is a machinery that they can get into place even though its a lot harder, and i think that history has shown that president s tend to rely on the cia to do covert action, to carry out secret war. It can be a seductive thing and there can be political benefits to it. So certainly one of the points of our piece was we would expect not only President Biden but whoever comes after President Biden to be dealing with afghanistan for some time. Claire, i wonder if you can pull all of this reporting together and just reflect on what you know of this president , what you know from working as a u. S. Senator on both the Terrorism Threat posed by this country for president s who navigated a Military Effort there. President obama and the last president who made this deal, this deal with the taliban. I want to read you something written in The New York Times. What trumps disgraceful deal with the taliban has wrought. The problem wasnt the administration wasnt the administration turned to diplomacy. That was a sensible avenue out of policy constraints. The problem was that the strongest state in the international order let it itself be swindled. We agreed to disreputable terms and pretended the taliban was meeting even those. Just talk about where with courtneys reporting that we are awaiting word that our last troops are out safely of the country. Yamiche is reporting this White House finds itself doing this very cautious messaging around a tragedy for the country, a tragedy for the families who lost Loved Ones but an end to the war, and marks reporting about the extraordinary burden that will be on our intelligence officials. I think its hard to draw away from the heartbreaking Chaos Weve witnessed and the tragic deaths of our men and women that were on the front lines trying to evacuate people friendly to america and others who wanted to get out. If you back up and look at this with a cold eye, and i think thats what President Biden did, for the last ten years our mission has primarily been to build an army in afghanistan and to build security forces that could respect the rule of law. As someone who sat on the arm Services Committee for 12 years during this period of time as someone who did oversight and saw the rampant waste of Money And Corruption that was so endemic in our involvement in afghanistan, what you really need to realize is the speed with which the taliban took over validates Joe Bidens Decision because our mission had failed. We did not build an army even though we trained over 300,000 afghans, even though we spent over 2 Trillion. We failed to instill in the people of afghanistan the ability to rule, to run an army, to protect their own country. They folded immediately. Once we decided that we were actually leaving. Was the deal that trump did ridiculous . Was he asking them to Camp David and acting as though they were valid State Actors . Yes. That was bad. The Bottom Line is no matter when we pulled out it was going to be messy, no matter when we pulled out there were going to be throngs of people gathered at the Departure Point and our military would be called on to protect them which makes them Sitting Ducks for the terrorists. By the way, our cia does this All Over The World. They go after terrorists All Over The World and terrorists are breeding All Over The World to Hyper Focus On Afghanistan was leaving us vulnerable in other places and thats why Joe Biden decided we spent enough time, treasure and lost enough americans to a country that isnt even willing to do what we have trained them to do, and that is unify and fight. I want to come back to this, but Courtney Kube, i understand you have new information for us. Yes, so this is what weve been waiting to report, nicolle, and thats that in just a few minutes we will get a briefing here at the pentagon from the Press Secretary, John Kirby, and from the head of u. S. Central command about afghanistan. Of course the Big Question, the big News Everyone is waiting for is the announcement about the u. S. Military presence there. As i said earlier, its after midnight in afghanistan, it is the deadline day. All sources, Everyone Weve been talking to says the military has been on track for a complete withdrawal of all remaining u. S. Troops from Kabul Airport. Again, that was due to happen by august 31st. Now they are waiting to find out some specifics about exactly where the president stands. We anticipate hearing the Military Presence there is over. The other Big Question were still waiting to hear about is will there be any kind of enduring Military Presence or mission in afghanistan as far as helping to get American Citizens out or any afghans who still need to get out . Earlier today John Kirby said at this point there were still no plans for that. Well see if thats evolved. Well hear from John Kirby and the head of u. S. Central command in just a few minutes, nicolle. The security risks, being briefed to All Of You. The ongoing fears about the prospect and the dangers facing those final flights out of the country. That being said, what was the reaction other than the obvious Grief And Sadness about the attack on friday and what was the weekend like . So, you know, there have obviously ive been covering this beat for 16 years and there have been a lot of dark days and weeks here. There was a terrible loss of life, ten years ago, actually, in August Of 2011 in Afghanistan A Helicopter was shot down, 30 people were killed. This people is not immune to or a stranger to tragedy but this attack on thursday was a real punch in the gut to the Defense Officials here. There was a real emotional reaction and it hit people here in a way that you arent used to seeing, frankly, in the war department. In the building used to having men and women in Harms Way and sending them there and used to these kinds of deployments. It came near the end of a really difficult couple of weeks. Active duty people who have been hearing from who have friends, people they consider their brothers they served as interpreters who worked for the military, the State Department in afghanistan. They have been reaching out begging for help. Its taken an emotional toll on a lot of Men And Women In Uniform and veterans and were seeing this outpouring, these veteran networks that have grown up trying to help the afghans who are stuck there, whether theyre sivs or people who just helped the americans or arent eligible for the siv process. It has taken an emotional Toll And Something we will need to watch for in the weeks and months ahead, because i think its had a Mental Health impact on a lot of members of the military seeing these 20 years dedicated to this conflict and this War End in this way and then particularly with that deadly attack last week on thursday. The reaction has been unlike one i have seen here in a long time. I really appreciate you answering that question. I hope it wasnt out of line, and i know you have to go do some reporting. Well let you go with the promise that youll come back if you have anything to report from that beat. Thank you so much, Courtney Kube, for being part of this. Yamiche, i want to come back to you on what courtney is reporting. I picked this up from veterans groups, some i got to know because they were some of the most brutal critics of my exboss and people that have engaged for two decades of critics of the wars in Iraq And Afghanistan and i always reached out to critics that i was part of that administration, some of the relationships ive had for two decades and some for less time than that, but there is a visceral despair to the prospect of not being able to help all of the people. And Courtney Kube is exactly right. They feel these are their brothers and i would say suzanne was on, there are people she feels close to when she was in the country and described one of the young children of one of her translators being hurt, beaten by the taliban. And the emotion of these people who have been by our side for 20 years not being taken out of the country before what has unfolded over the last two weeks seems to be taking a toll. Is it also taking a toll on this White House and this president . Its a great question. People double down on this idea the despair is palpable. Ive been talking to veterans who really feel hurt and humiliated and embarrassed at the idea some of the people who helped, the afghans who put their lives on the line, and who they do feel are their Brothers And Sisters. There is this real sense in talking and some of that is bleeding over into the White House in that as i was pushing and talking to the White House Press Secretary today asking her about numbers and estimates and the president s message for people who are Left Behind, you could hear in her voice and white House Officials i talked to that they do understand that people should not be Left Behind and that there is this reality that some people will be Left Behind. Thats why i think you hear the president , the Secretary Of State, the White House Press Secretary, saying we still have an enduring commitment even though were not going to have troops on the ground, were still going to have some sort of effort to bring these people out of afghanistan and try to make a way for them to come to america. I think thats born out of this feeling, this real feeling that america owes these people who helped us during this 20Year War a debt of gratitude. And theres a real sense when you think about the lives we lost and the lives afghans have lost that there needs to be this sort of shared understanding that this was a war that was fought not only, of course, by the United States and our allies but also by the afghan people despite, of course, what happened with kabul and the afghan government falling apart. There are real citizens lives at risk. And one other thing, nicolle, i covered Arlington Cemetery for the Washington Post for a while and i have to tell you in talking to veterans, theres this real palpable feeling of sadness when you think of the fact that the oldest person the oldest person out of those 13 people was 31 years old. Some of these troops were 2 years old, 1 year old when the war started so theres a second generation of people a second generation of troops who are enduring the same sadness that the generation before them endured and i think that underscores why its so solemn and why i think the White House is really wanting to say these lives were not lost for no reason. These people did not die in vain and we will try to get the people who helped them out as best we can. Mark, something weve tried to capture here is that both of the men who ran for president in the last election were for leaving afghanistan. So there wasnt a debate in this country about an indefinite Military Operation in afghanistan, and that seems to be the prevailing view of many former National Security officials. Neither was for staying. This was trumps deal. President biden held to it and Got Out of the country. Have you seen a Split Sort of between the public and the leaders of two political parties and a national Security Establishment like that that youve covered before . Well, i would add to that, also, you could argue there hasnt been a serious debate about afghanistan for years. As you said, it was not both candidates were in favor of getting out but it was not or maybe because of that it was not a big issue in the election. It has been years since afghanistan and a Military Presence in afghanistan has been an issue that has been on the front Burner And Front and center of political Debate And Debate around the country. I think for that reason, you know, there were many in the national Security Establishment who and youve had some on your Show And Theyve been very vocal in the last few weeks, arguing this presence should have and could have continued indefinitely with a small force. That should and can be debated but i think theres a lot more to learn about what has happened the last few weeks. There does seem to be a view in the public now that this is on Everyones Television screens as heartwrenching as it is that it was time to end this Military Involvement because as everyone has said here so many questions about what has been achieved and what can still be achieved. So i think the more that we as a country have open discussions about war, the cost of war and the cost of keeping them going i think the better. The fact this sort of has gone on to a degree on autopilot for some time, i think is to the detriment of all of us. So these are hard discussions that were having but i think theyre important. Theyre really important, claire, and this is a good faith and honest conversation but thats not whats happening on the other side of the ideological divide. Theres a Fantasy Being portrayed in Conservative Media that staying forever was an option, that leaving could have been done in a way that wasnt with risk. I wonder what you make of the very real criticism from the right. Axios has members of congress who have joined that chorus. It doesnt seem to be rooted in the reality of what were talking about. If Joe Biden baked a perfect apple pie, the republicans would complain about apples. It is hypocritical what theyre doing. On one hand especially when you look at what the people trying to help are refugees and how ironic it is the republicans are all puffed up over the refugees when they have been doing everything in their power to turn their back on refugees in the United States for a number of years, including the trump presidency. I will say this, though, i think its really important, nicolle, that we are honest about what was going on in afghanistan. There were way more contractors in afghanistan than there were american military. We have been the gdp of afghanistan. Period. The money that was flowing into that country was sustaining that country. And the contractors, theyre a huge part of that national Security Apparatus youre talking about. Of course they didnt want this to end. Theyve been on this train a long, long time. Billions and hundreds of billions of dollars flowing through contractors. So heres the thing. They are going to need money, the taliban, badly. They are going to be isis enemies because isis has a different view than taliban. They are going to be trying to figure out how to govern a country that has 14 different ethnicities recognized in their national anthem. Theyre going to have to have resources. Thats where the United States can leverage ngos and other organizations, aid organizations, with money to help get people out. And the taliban will gladly take that money. So i dont think all is lost for the people who have been Left Behind. And if you add together not only who weve gotten out but our allies have taken out a lot of people, too. Ive read some estimates as many as a quarter million people have been removed from afghanistan that were helpful to us and our allies. Thats quite an accomplishment for this presidency even though we have a tragic result of losing those 13 lives. Im going to ask All Of You to stay with us and tell our viewers what we are waiting for. The pentagon, as Courtney Kube just reported on our air, is expected to brief we dont know exactly what theyre going to brief on but, of course, today in afghanistan it is already the 31st, the deadline for all u. S. Troops to leave that country, for the Evacuation Mission to be complete. Courtney kube has also reported as has yamiche, as has mark and his colleagues at The New York Times, on the extraordinarily risky Security Situation as were made abundantly clear the world over in that tragic bombing outside the Kabul Airport on thursday. That we woke up to on friday. Is Mark Jacobson with us . Mark jacobson, let me bring you into this conversation. Your thoughts. Im here. I listened to what Senator Mccaskill said and i think theres a real issue here. I dont think we got the right folks out. We know from a great Washington Post story this Morning Something that many of us veterans have been saying for two weeks now, why arent the sivs getting out . Its pretty clear we didnt get out the people we meant to get out and theres a reason we went to get the highrisk people first. Rather than the next 50 years and talk about what went wrong, lets talk about what the biden administration needs to do to get the sivs and the highrisk afghans out. One, they need to cut a deal with the taliban, to cut a deal with the border nations to allow right of transit across the border. And this is going to include for afghans who may not have the proper documentation because it was burned by the taliban or they had to leave their houses quickly. Also transit rights so humanitarian organizations can pick up afghans mark, lets listen together. Please dont go anywhere. Well pick this up on the other side. Well have some opening comments and then will take some questions. We have a hard stop at 5 00. I will not waste up any more time. General, can you hear and see me okay . John, i can hear and see you just fine. Thank you, sir. Thank you for being here today. I turn it over to you, sir. Thanks, john. Good afternoon, everyone. Im here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from afghanistan and the end of the Military Mission to evacuate American Citizens, third country nationals, and vulnerable afghans. The last c17 lifted off from Hamid Karzai international airport on august 30, this afternoon, at 3 29 p. M. East coast time and the last manned aircraft is clearing the airspace above afghanistan. We will soon reless a photo of the last c17 departing afghanistan with major general Chris Donahue and the u. S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson aboard. While the military evacuation is complete, the Diplomatic Mission to ensure additional u. S. Citizens and eligible afghans who want to leave continues. And i know that you have heard i know that you are going to hear more about that from the State Department shortly. Tonights withdrawal signifies both the end of the Military Component of the evacuation but also the end of the nearly 20year mission that began in afghanistan shortly after september 11, 2001. Its a mission that brought Osama Bin Laden to a just end along with many of his Al Qaeda coconspirators and it was not a cheap mission. The cost was 2,461 u. S. Service members and civilians killed and more than 20,000 who were injured. Sadly that includes 13 u. S. Service members who were killed last week by an isisk Suicide Bomber. We honor their Sacrifice Today as we remember their heroic accomplishments. No words from me could possibly capture the full measure of sacrifices and accomplishments of those who served nor the emotions theyre feeling at this moment. I will say that i am proud both my son and i have been a part of it. Before i open it up for questions, i do want to provide some important context to the Evacuation Mission that we just completed. In what was the largest noncombatant evacuation in the u. S. Militarys history. Since August The 14th over an 18day Period u. S. Military aircraft have evacuated more than 79,000 civilians from Hamid Karzai international airport including 6,000 americans and more than 73,500 third country nationals and afghan civilians. This last category includes special immigrant visas, consular staff, atrisk afghans and their families. In total u. S. And Coalition Aircraft combined to evacuate more than 123,000 civilians which were all enabled by u. S. Military Service Members who were securing and operating the airfield. On average we have evacuated more than 7,500 civilians per day over the 18 days of the mission which includes 16 full days of evacuations. And more than 19,000 on a single day. These numbers do not include the roughly 5,000 Service Members and their equipment sent to afghanistan to secure the airfield and who will withdrawn at the conclusion of our mission. The numbers represent a monumental accomplishment but do not do justice to the Determination And Professionalism of the men and women of the u. S. Military and our Coalition Partners who were able to rapidly combine efforts and evacuate so many under such difficult conditions. As such i think its important that i provide you with what i hope will be some valuable context. When the president directed the complete withdrawal of u. S. Forces from afghanistan in april, the team at u. S. Central command began to update and refine our existing plan for a potential noncombatant operation. We have a framework of plans that included numerous branches and sequels depending on the anyway turp of the Security Environment. Over time we continued to refine our plans which included the interagency, the international community, and other combatant commands. Plans such as this are built upon a number of facts and assumptions and facts and assumptions change over time. While observing the Security Environment deteriorate we continued to update our facts and assumptions. As the Security Situation rapidly devolved in afghanistan, we took a number of actions to position ourselves for a potential neo based upon direction from the secretary of defense. We positioned forces in the region and put them on increased alert. We began to preposition supplies and we began some preparatory work on intermediate facilities in qatar with the support of our gracious host nation. When the evacuation was formally directed we began to carry out our plan based on the initial assumption that the Afghan Security Forces would be a willing and able partner In Kabul. Defending for a number of weeks or at least for a few days. Within 24 hours, of course, the Afghan Military collapsed completely. Opening kabul up to the talibans afghanistan. On August The 15th in a meeting with taliban senior leadership in dohar, i delivered a message on behalf of the president that our mission In Kabul was now the evacuation of americans and our partners, that we would not tolerate interference, and that we would forcefully defend our forces and the evacuees if necessary. The Talibans Response in that meeting was in line with what theyve said publicly. While they stated their intent to enter and occupy kabul, they also offered to work with us on a Deconfliction Mission while our forces operated in close quarters. Finally, they promised not to interfere with our withdrawal. Its important to understand that within 48 hours of the execution order, the facts on the ground had changed significantly. We had gone from cooperating our security with a longtime Partner And Ally to initiating a pragmatic relationship of necessity with a long time enemy. And to that environment, the armys 82nd Air Force Division deployed and employed their forces and did extraordinary work with the leading elements of our Reinforcement Package to safely close the embassy in one period of darkness or one evening to establish a Deconfliction Mechanism with the taliban, to establish security at the airport, and to bring in the rest of our reinforcements into the airport. They accomplished this difficult list of tasks within 48 hours of supporting the transfer of the embassy to the airport. I visited kabul on tuesday, august the 17th, to see the work being done to establish security firsthand and to observe the transition to the evacuation. I left on a c17 that brought more than 130 afghans and American Citizens out from karzai international airport to qatar. Our men and women on the ground at the airport quickly embraced the dangerous and methodical work of defending the airport while conducting the Hand Screening of more than 120,000 evacuees from six different Entry Points onto the airfield. We also conducted three separate Helicopter Extractions of three distinct groups of civilians including at least 185 American Citizens and with our german partners 21 german citizens. Additionally u. S. Special operations forces reached out to help bring in more than 1,064 American Citizens and 2,017 sivs or afghans at Risk And 127 third country nationals, all via Phone Calls, vectors and escorting. We have evacuated more than 6,000 u. S. Civilians which we believe represents the vast majority of those who wanted to leave at this time. It would be difficult to overestimate the number of unusual challenges and competing demands that our forces on the ground have successfully overcome. The threat to our forces particularly from isisk was very real and tragically resulted in the loss of 13 Service Members and dozens of afghan civilians. Ive said this before, but i would like to say it again, we greatly appreciate the contributions of Coalition Partners that stood with us on the ground at karzai international airport. Im going to single out One Nation as an example of the many. The norwegians who maintained their hospital at the airport and who were absolutely critical for the immediate care of our wounded after the abbey gate attack. Even after the attack, they aged agreed to provide more coverage for us. Our diplomats have also been with us In Kabul from the beginning, and their work in processing over 120,000 people stands right beside that of their Military Partners. We were a team on the ground. As i close my remarks, i would like to offer my personal appreciation to the more than 800,000 Service Members and 25,000 civilians who have served in afghanistan and particularly to the families of those whose Loved Ones have been lost or wounded. Your service as well as that of your comrades and Family Members will never be forgotten. My heart is broken over the losses we sustained three days ago. We will remember them. The last 18 days have been challenging. Americans can be proud of the men and women of the Armed Forces who met these Challenges Head on. Im now ready to take your questions. Thank you, general. Well start with ap. I would ask you, because were limited on time, to limit your followups so more people can get questions asked. Go ahead. General, thanks for doing this. Can you give us a sense of whether or not there were any American Citizens or other civilians who were taken out on any of those last couple of c17s that flew out this afternoon . And can you give us a picture of what you saw with equipment and other things getting either destroyed or removed at the airport before they left . No American Citizens came out on the last what we call the joint tactical, the last five jets to leave. We maintained the ability to bring them in up until immediately before departure, but we were not able to bring any americans out. That activity ended probably about 12 hours before our exit although we continued the outreach and would have been prepare to bring them on until the very last minute, but none of them made it to the airport and were able to be accommodated. We brought some of it out and we demilitarized some of it. Let me give you an example of something we demilitarized. You are very much aware of the Rocket Attack that occurred yesterday, where five rockets were fired at the airfield. Our crams were effective in engaging the two rockets that did follow on the airfield and we believe kept them from doing more significant damage. We elected to keep those systems in operation up until the very last minute. Its a complex procedure, complex in time to break down those systems, so we demilitarized those systems so theyll never be used again. We felt it was more important to protect our forces than to bring those systems back. We have demilitarized equipment we did not bring out of the airport that included a number of mraps up to 70 mraps we demilitarized and will never be used again by anyone, 27 humvees, tactical vehicle, that will never be driven again. Additionally on the ramp the total of 73 aircraft, those aircraft will never fly again when we left. Theyll never be able to be operated by anyone. They were nonmission capable to begin with but certainly will never be able to be flown again. Thank you. General martin with cbs. Was there any attempt to interfere with the final flights out either by the taliban or by isis or any other group . And at the end did americans just vacate the premises or did they turn it over to the taliban . We know that isisk has worked very, very hard to strike us and continue to strike us. We feel that the strike we took yesterday In Kabul actually was very disruptive to their Attack Plans and threw them offstride. I think that was one of the significant reasons why they were not able to organize themselves and get after us as we conducted the final withdrawal. I will tell you the taliban had been very pragmatic and very business like as we have approached this withdrawal. We did not turn it over to the taliban. General donahue, one of the last things he did before leaving, was talk to the commander that he had been coordinaing with about the time we were going to leave just to let him know that we were leaving. There was no discussion of turning anything over of that at all. Jen . General mckenzie, Jennifer Griffin from fox news. If i could just have you reflect personally after 20 years of War Youve served there. You have now watched the last troops leave. Youve lost troops in recent days. How did it feel leaving afghanistan to the very group that you overthrew 20 years ago, the taliban . Well, as i sort of said in my remarks, as you know ive been there a couple times. My son has been there a couple times. And it was very i was very conflicted, actually. I was pretty much focused on the task at hand. Ill have days ahead to actually think about that. There was just so much going on in headquarters and we were so focused on getting our troops out and in the days before getting our citizens out and vulnerable afghans to the best of our ability that i did not have a lot of time for reflection. Im sure i will do that in the future. Im consumed with the operational task at hand. And i am going to be thinking about that in the days ahead. Your message to americans and afghan allies Left Behind . So the military phase of this operation has ended. The diplomatic sequel to that will begin. And i believe our department of state is going to work very hard to allow any American Citizens that are left and we think the citizens not brought out number in the low, very low, hundreds. I believe that were going to be able to get those people out. I think were also going to negotiate very hard and aggressively to get our other afghan partners out. Our ability to bring them out remains as intense as before. The weapons have just shifted, if you will, from the Military Realm to the diplomatic realm and the department of state will take the lead now. Nancy . Can you clarify a couple points. Can you tell us how many people were on that C17 Flight . Where the flight is headed . And you mentioned General Donahue talked to his taliban, essentially his counterpart. Can you give us any sense what role the taliban played from a Security Perspective to allow the u. S. To safely depart kabul . Yes, im not going to be able to answer the first two questions because the operations are still completing as to where the aircraft are going and the exact disposition of our forces on the aircraft. I can tell you this what the taliban has done. They established a firm perimeter outside of the airfield to prevent people from coming on the airfield during our Departure And Weve worked that with them for a number of days. They did not have direct knowledge at the time of departure. We chose to keep that information restricted. They were actually very helpful and useful to us as we closed down operations. I want to go to the phones. I havent done that yet. Dan . Thanks for calling on me. General, can you give us, i guess, a deeper level of detail on what the last day looked like in terms of number of flights, number of people on the ground to start with, who might have been on the last plane, particularly senior leaders, and how this all played out . Thanks. Ill begin with the Back End of your question. On the last plane was general Chris Donahue, and my Ground Force Commander there and he was accompanied by our ambassador. They came out together. The State And Defense team came out on the last aircraft and were, in fact, the last to stand on the Ground Step on the airplane. What has happened over the last 12 or 18 hours, we were intent on maintaining the ability to bring out americans and other afghans as long as we could. So we kept that capability until just a few hours ago. We were able to bring out some people earlier in the day, although as i noted earlier we had to cut it off sometime before this operation began. We were intent on maintaining that capability. We were also intent on maintaining our Force Protection because the threats from isis were very real, very concerning, and so we did a number of things. We had overwhelming u. S. Air Power Overhead should there have been any challenge to our departure. Again, there was absolutely no question we were not going to be challenged by the taliban. If we were going to be challenged it was going to be by isis. I think some of the things we have done yesterday, particularly the strike, and other things we have done have disrupted their ability to conduct that attack planning. They remain a very lethal force, and i think we would assess that probably there are at least 2,000 hardcore Isis Fighters in afghanistan now. Of course, many of those come from the prisons that were opened a few days ago. So that number is up and is probably as high as it has ever been in quite a while. Thats going to be a challenge for the taliban, i believe, in the days ahead. Reporter thank you, general. Two quick questions. There are about 500 afghan soldiers who are protecting the perimeter. Did you evacuate them and their families . Secondly, just on the airport, now that you have departed, do you believe it can take on Civilian Aircraft pretty soon or will it require some type of Repair Or Expertise . Sure. The best of my knowledge, which is actually pretty good, i believe we brought out all of the Afghan Military forces who partnered with us to defend the airfield and their Family Members. I believe that has been accomplished. We need the airport to be operational and we need the airport to be operational quickly, you know, for civilian traffic. So we are going to do everything we can to help with that. Let me give you an example. One of the things we did not demilitarize as we left were those pieces of equipment that are necessary for Airport Operations such as a fire truck, some of the frontend loaders, things like that. We left that equipment. That is available to allow that airport to get back and get operating as soon as possible, and it needs to get operating as soon as possible. Reporter general, today is august 30th, and the deadline had repeatedly been said it was going to be august 31st. Do you think that there may be some people who had some false hope that they had at least one more day before this happened and can you explain the tactical decision as to why you completed this mission on the 30th as opposed to the 31st . Sure. So it is actually the 31st in afghanistan as we take a look what day of the month it is. It is the 30th here, the 31st in afghanistan. So we actually went out on the 31st, not the 30th, if you look at afghan time. Look, theres a lot of hard break associated with this departure. We did not get everybody out we wanted to get out. I think if we stayed another ten days we wouldnt have gotten everybody out we wanted to get out and there still would have been people disappointed with that. It is a tough situation. I want to emphasize again simply because we have left, that doesnt mean the opportunities for both americans that are in afghanistan that want to leave and afghans who want to leave, they will not be denied that opportunity. I think our department of state is going to work that very hard in the days and weeks ahead. Courtney. Reporter just one clarification, general mackenzie. Courtney kube from Nbc News. Were there any evacuees left at the airport when the last u. S. Military flight left . There were no evacuees left at the airport when the last u. S. Flight left, courtney. Reporter thank you. Just on the taliban, you know, you have talked about their pragmatic ways of operating with the u. S. Military here. Do you see a role for the u. S. Military to have open conversations with the taliban, even potential coordination going forward, in particular with this growing and now accentuated threat from isis . Well, ill tell you, my dealing with the taliban and the dealings of my commanders on the ground with the taliban revolved around our determination to execute this operation and the very flat statement we made to them that, you know, if you challenge us we are going to hurt you, and i think they recognized that. For their own purposes this is something they wanted to have happen, too. I cant foresee the way future coordination between us would go. I would leave that for some future date. I will simply say that they wanted us out, we wanted to get out with our people and with our friends and partners. So for that short period of time our issues our view of the world was congregate, it was the same. Finally, i do believe the taliban is going to have their hands full with isisk and they let a lot of those people out of prisons and now they will be able to reap what they sowed. Reporter thank you. General mackenzie, Tara Cobb with defense fund. Can you assure the american public that every single u. S. Service member is now out of afghanistan . Every single u. S. Service member is now out of afghanistan. I can say that with 100 certainty. Reporter sir, really quickly just to clarify, you mentioned 123,000 out of afghanistan. Earlier this morning we heard 122,000. Can we assume that was 1,000 afghans that came out in some of these final flights . And then i have a quick follow of up. We brought about 1,000 afghans. I think over 1,500 out in the last 24 hours or so. The exact number im sure is probably that computation is probably going to change a little bit in the days ahead. I dont think it is going to change much, but, yes, we brought a number of afghans out at the very end. Reporter sir, how would you characterize this Evacuation Mission . Because on the one hand 123,000 people Got Out. On the other hand, of course, you lost 13 marines, more than 100 afghans died, and there are still potentially tens of thousand sivs, p1s, p2s and others that wanted to get out and did not get out, as you said. How would you characterize this mission . First of all, the 11 marines, the soldier and the sailor we lost, i will never forget that. That will be with me and i know every other commander involved for the rest of our lives. We have all lost we have all lost people before and it is never an easy thing. You would like to bring out everybody that wanted to come out. Were not able to do that. The Situation Wouldnt allow it. I think we did a very good job of getting everybody that we could get out, given the unique challenges of the tactical situation on the ground. The fact that really not all americans wanted to leave. There are americans that for a variety of reasons want to stay for a while. I think we will go back and they will have the opportunity to theyll have the opportunity to revisit that and come out if they want. I think it is just important to note that shouldnt look on this as the end of that engagement about people in afghanistan. I am confident that that engagement is going to continue through a variety of venues, and it wont just be the United States thats going to be engaged on this. I think our international partners are also going to be very engaged on this as well going forward. Two more. Well go to the phones again. Jack dutch. Reporter thanks, general mackenzie. Im kind of curious how American Citizens are going to be expected to get to the airport and what the continuing Terror Threat will be just in the coming days and what the Evacuation Picture is going to look like for them. Well, i think the Terror Threat is going to be very high, and i dont want to minimize that. But i think what well do is we will work with the Taliban And Work with the next governor of afghanistan, whatever his characterization is going to be, in order to ensure our citizens are protected and they have an opportunity to leave. As you know, we still hold a variety of significant leverage over whatever future government exists In Kabul, and i have No Doubt that the department of state will fully exercise that leverage. Reporter do you have any confidence in their ability to secure the city right now, the taliban . I think they will be challenged to secure the city. I do know this, just speaking purely practically as a professional, they helped us secure the airfield. Not perfectly, but they gave it a very good effort, and it was actually significantly significantly helpful to us, particularly here at the end. Last question for today. Megan. Reporter this is megan myers, military times. Are there any u. S. Aircraft doing over flights of afghanistan, either kabul or otherwise, looking out for potential threats . As we have said for quite a while, we always reserve the opportunity to go after in the Counterterrorism Realm Al Qaeda and isis when those targets present themselves. We will always retain the ability to do that. Thats about all of the time we have. General any concluding thoughts you might want to add . John, it has been a long day and much longer actually for our forces that are coming out. The operation has gone smoothly so far, and i just look forward to look forward to recovering the force completely, getting everybody home. Thank you, general. Thanks for your time. Thank you all. Have a nice afternoon. We have been listening to u. S. Centcom commander general frank mckenzie, announcing that the War In Afghanistan after 20 years is over. Claire mccaskill, i will read you some of the headlines for the history books from the Washington Post. Last u. S. Military flight leaves kabul, bringing and end to americas longest war. From The New York Times, the u. S. Military finishes its Ee Evacuation and ends an era in afghanistan. Your thoughts . Well, i think like the general, theres a lot of conflict here. Am i sad that we could not accomplish the mission that we intended, which was a democratic strong national Security Country that could stand on its own . Yes. Am i heartbroken that we lost soldiers and marines and a sailor as we tried to protect those people that wanted to get out . Yes, of course. But we were failing in the mission there, and i do think the important part of his comment is the sequel now begins. The leverage that we have that was referenced right before we went to the press conference, and im sure he will elaborate on that, the leverage that we have with money and resources and charitable organizations and our allies that are all going to be working on this, i think anyone who is in afghanistan who helped americans still has a very good chance of safely exiting the country because i guarantee you there are going to be people working over time to try to help them do that. Marc jacobson, to claires point, there is a very clear, stated mission to get our friends and allies out. What did you hear and what do you find reassuring and what are you still looking to hear and what are you looking to secretary of State Blinken to say in the coming moments . Sure. And i served with frank mckenzie during my diplomatic tour and i have a lot of respect for him and what his family has done personally. To Senator Mccaskills point and to what i want to hear from Tony Blinken, one, i want to hear a clear statement to donors, private and foundations, we need your help. We need you to fund those organizations that are going to go in and continue the mission. The second thing is that i want to hear from Secretary Blinken is we are going to leverage everything we can to get those border nations to open up their borders to afghans, even if only as a Transit Point to a third location. You know, some of these countries dont want to have Tens Of Thousands of refugees. Understandable. We can do that. We just need a Transit Point. Thirdly, as i said, whether it is directly or through the u. N. Or the icrc, we have to have an agreement with the taliban to allow flights to come in, pick up people and get out to those nations that are willing to take them even without visas or passports, like Uganda And Ukraine that have offered. Thats key. We cant stop. No one Left Behind. You know, i know theres going to be Back And Forth over this, but there is No Doubt and im on the phone still with many of them. There are siv applicants who have been Left Behind. Or siv immigrants. Im sorry. Mark mazzetti, we put you shot out, we have a question for you. If we interrupt you because the second of state comes out, we apologize in advance. I want to read from some of the first story The Times has put up on this. The last vestiges of the american presence in afghanistan have departed Kabul Airport, ending an occupation that resulted in the complete takeover of the adversary the u. S. Spent two decades fighting. Thats according to u. S. Officials. Your thoughts on this first day, this huge, huge moment . I think it is my shots are three complicated. I was at the pentagon on 9 11. I went to afghanistan for the first time a few months after that and went back several times over the last 20 years. It is it is going to take weeks, months and years to be able to, you know, write the proper history of the war, put things in context, and to sort of digest the ending of it. Even the last few weeks which have now, as you said earlier, theres been so much partisan rancor over the last few weeks. You know, a Blame Game. Theres so much more to learn about this period of time. I mean just think about hearing General Mckenzie, you know, on one hand they are leaving a War Zone after 20 years, blowing things up on the way out so the taliban dont have access to them, and keeping other things in place so the taliban can run an airport that is usable for, you know, the foreseeable future. This is the enemy that just defeated the United States. So, you know, everyone who has had any role or any connection to this war over the last 20 years, i think it is very hard to sum up exactly how theyre feeling and it is going to take some time. You know, yamiche, the american people has been so weary of this effort for so many, many years. This president has been skeptical of its prospects for success for almost as many years. There is a parallel experience, i think, for the public that has been war weary for a long time that well see and read these headlines and deliberate. Thats right. In some ways when i talk to without officials they underscore this idea that one of the reasons why President Biden feels so firmly on the idea that he made the right decision to withdraw from afghanistan is because the american people, the sentiment was that they also wanted to be out of this 20Year War. They didnt want another generation of american troops to be going into this country, and that there really was this real feeling that families wanted to put this war to rest. I think General Mckenzie really did say something that strikes at the heart of this, which is that there is a lot of heartbreak. We didnt get everyone that we wanted out, he said that very clearly. He also said though if we stayed an extra ten days that we also probably would not have gotten everyone out. He again was underscoring the idea that the end of war is messy, that it is volatile, that it is dangerous, and that this war while it has ended will continue on in another phase in terms of the diplomatic efforts of still trying to get out the people who helped america. I think if we zoom out even more, when we think about what the president wanted to do in afghanistan, he wanted to end this chapter on his watch. He said the buck stops with me if there are people who die, if there are soldiers that pass away, that he is the one who is responsible for that. You see here the president sticking by his decision, and i think in talking to white House Officials there really is a sense in the long Term History will judge him as having made the right decision. Thats something i have heard over and over again when i have been talking to officials. We are waiting for u. S. Secretary of state Tony Blinken to make remarks from the State Department. If we interrupt any of our guests because that begins, we apologize. While were waiting i want to bring in my colleague, nbcs chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, who joins us from doha. Richard engel, your thoughts to what you just heard from General Mckenzie announcing the end of the 20Year War in afghanistan . Reporter well, these are heavy days. I dont know anyway other to describe it. I do not envy him for having had to make that statement, to speak to the american people, but also to speak to others who served in afghanistan including his own Family Members and to tell them that we came, we fought and were leaving and were handing over the country back to the same enemy, and that we coordinated with the enemy so that they could make sure we packed up and left on time. It is a moment of deep humility. The United States has been humbled today. It is another empire that has not fallen in afghanistan, but that has stumbled in afghanistan. The British Empire fought in afghanistan and pulled out in defeat as did the soviet union, and now the United States as well. To what you were just talking about earlier, theres a lot of talk about afghanistan being the longest war in u. S. History. It is the longest Combat Mission, but for the last several years it wasnt a Combat Mission. It was a stabilizing mission. There hadnt been any troops killed in afghanistan in about two years, and the costs had been reduced significantly. There was about 3,500 troops there that were holding it together, who werent dying, and with their withdrawal you saw quickly the collapse of the entire country. Theres going to be a lot of debate whether that was the right decision. Most afghans do not think it was the right decision. Most afghans never saw those american troops, did not feel occupied by those american troops, felt comforted by their presence, and their withdrawal emboldened the taliban as did the deal signed by President Trump. If you go back and im not trying to get into the Blame Game in politics, there are many in washington who can do that. I was in doha, im in doha now, when the deal was signed, when the deal was signed by President Trump. The afghan government, which was already weak, was not even invited. President trump made a deal directly with the taliban, and the deal was effectively the country is yours. That undercut the afghan government tremendously. Tremendously. Then the troops presence, the troops were the government continued to sustain. There was reduced level of violence, and then the government was undercut again profoundly when the biden administration rapidly withdrew troops with very little coordination with the Armed Forces of afghanistan and with the government itself. So it was given a first blow by trump and then a Death Blow by the biden administration, and they collapsed and the taliban moved in. Theyre going to be there for a while. They have tremendous amount of weapons. They have tremendous confidence, and who is going to go in now . What power is going to go in and undo them . A whole generation of afghans have been brought up under the umbrella of an american presence there. The Life Expectancy in afghanistan went up dramatically. Girls rushed back to school. Music academies opened and thrived. Afghanistan changed profoundly. It was not always just a War Zone. For the last several years there was a degree of stability, there was a degree of hope. Afghans were shocked that the u. S. Pulled away the Security Blanket when it was not the same kind of Combat Mission that had been there before. The decision had been taken, the troops are now gone. That is now history. The question is what will it be for the future. The future for afghanistan will be will depend on the good graces of the taliban. Will they keep their word . Are they really changed . Have they learned from their experiences and now want to engage with the rest of the world . There are many forces, including here in doha, that want to bring them in that direction, are trying to coax them, sort of a pygmalian story, but they are also reinforced by their own experience. The taliban can look back at their own experience and say, our hearts were right. If they were not right, why this is a religious movement. Why would god have rewarded them and given them this victory . It will be a challenge to bring the taliban into the international community, but that is the challenge that is facing us for the sake of the afghan people and for the sake of the region really, because the collapse of the state and the takeover of the state, it is not just a tragedy for the afghans. It will suck in other countries around it, the same way when you have a hole in the center of a map. It brings other countries and destabilizes other countries and sucks them into the political vortex. Richard engel, i mean you kind of alluded to the political it has really become a pretty nasty dog fight, i would say, here. The recriminations against a president who carried out a Policy Put in place by President Trump. There are critics of bringing afghan refugees into this country. I wonder from your interviews and your engagement with afghans who have left who are our allies, what is their sense of sort of the dynamic in this country . Are they aware of how political, you know, refugees coming to this country and immigration in general is in america right now . Reporter afghans know the difficult road ahead. They see the picture of afghans sleeping at airports. There have been people leaving afghanistan for many, many years. It is, in addition to being a graveyard of empires, it is also a very poor country and just generally among the highest numbers of Asylum Seekers in europe tend to be afghans. So they know that the world is not welcoming afghans with open arms because it has not for a very, very long time. They just were surprised. They were surprised that they thought things were going well. They thought they were going on a path to improvement. They were surprised when the Trump Administration made the deal, they were surprised when biden implemented the deal. And i know afghans were surprised, they told me they were surprised. They didnt think it would actually happen. Trump talked a lot, signed a law, it was going on and an election committee. They werent sure if it would actually happen. Then when biden actually pulled out the troops and turned off the lights in bagram and they were really gone and the taliban were really taking capitals, thats why so many of these afghans dont have documents, because they left quickly. They didnt think this was going to actually happen. Then the world in just 11 days closed in on them and now there are 120,000 who Got Out who are living in transit countries on their way to get settled some place with one bag each and half documents and families and maybe a couple of diapers. Those are the people who Got Out. Then there are millions of afghans, millions who support the taliban who will now see this as the greatest Godgiven Victory in the History Of The World and there are many who see this as the end of their hope, as the end of civilization as they knew it, a return to the stone age. Richard engel, thank you so much for making some time, for taking some time and for your incredibly informed insights and reporting. Thank you so much. Thank you to mark march zetie, I Cant Meech Ya Yamiche alcindo. I want to bring in jeremy bash, former chief of staff at the cia, former chief of staff at the department of defense. For us today, National Security analyst. Your thoughts, General Mckenzie announcing an end to the 20Year War in afghanistan . Well, as General Mckenzie talked, nicolle, i couldnt help but envision in my mind the ramp on that c17 pulling up, closing in, those aircraft going wheels up on that joint tactical evacuation that you described. Of course, the war is over. The Longest War In American History is over, but we have Unfinished Business in afghanistan. Just as my old organization, the cia, was the first into afghanistan after 9 11, nicolle, the Intelligence Community is going to be the last out. By that i mean referencing the conversation you had earlier with mark and others about the Intelligence Communitys responsibility going forward here, i see many dimensions to that. First, there are so many people in afghanistan at this hour who still want to get out, and the u. S. Government is going to have to have a covertled Evacuation Effort for months to come for those who worked along the u. S. Military for the last 20 years. Im personally in touch with some of those on the ground, im involved in some of the efforts to get some of those at risk out of the country. That mission is not going away. The Intelligence Community is going to have to step up and play a major role in that effort. Second, nicolle, isisk and Al Qaeda remain threats to the United States. Our interests and our allies. The Intelligence Community is going to have to play an active role collecting intelligence and ultimately conducting kinetic operations, strikes, whether it is airstrikes or maybe even ground operations and overthehorizon kinetic Strike Capability against those terrorist targets, those training camps, those personnel that threaten u. S. Interests, in the same way we prevented afghanistan from being a Safe Haven for Terrorist Attacks against the United States over the last 20 years, that mission is not over. We have to continue to prevent afghanistan from being the Safe Haven. Third, nicolle, just as you saw director burns, the head of the cia, engage taliban leadership over the last several weeks, that is a mission that the cia and the Intelligence Community has undertaken on behalf of the United States in a lot of different realms, in a lot of different contexts over several decades. They the taliban, the next government of afghanistan in effect is going to become an unofficial at least partner of some sort to the u. S. And it is going to fall to the cia and the Intelligence Community to conduct that partnership because we wont have an official u. S. State departmentled diplomatic presence, we wont have an official u. S. Military presence there. In the parlance of the Intelligence Community, theres going to have to be nontraditional liaison partner relationship. Thats a euphemism for doing deals with devils sometimes to protect u. S. Interests. Theres a lot of Unfinished Business even as General Mckenzie, Secretary Blinken and the leadership of our country declares an end to the longest war in u. S. His sorry. Jeremy bash, can you talk about how much of that has been going on the whole time and perhaps becomes does it become more difficult without a u. S. Embassy In Kabul . Does it become more dangerous . Can you just talk about the practical impact on our intelligence professionals . Yeah, the Intelligence Mission in afghanistan, as i referenced, has been going on since the very hours after the 9 11 attacks. Cia teams were the first into afghanistan after 9 11, even before u. S. Special operations forces went into afghanistan and began the early linkups with afghan elements that would ultimately overthrow the taliban government in september and october of 2001. Ever since that time the Intelligence Community has maintained a very large, robust presence in that country, and theyve been Running Networks and liascing with afghan National Security forces and Training Elements to defend the country and prevent Al Qaeda from rejuvenating there. Of course, we chased Al Qaeda out of the country and ultimately delivered a Decimating Blow to Al Qaeda leadership when we tracked down Osama Bin Laden in pakistan on May 1st, 2011. That mission has not waned. In fact, in the final weeks just as so much attention has been paid to the u. S. Military and the civilian retrograde of forces out of the country, obviously our intelligence professionals have been extraordinarily busy protecting their men and women in Harms Way, protecting those who served alongside them over the last 20 years. Now they have to do it in some respects, nicolle, as you referenced, in a much more difficult terrain, much more difficult situation. We wont have official diplomatic or military posts to operate from. We will have to do things much more in the dark, much morocco vertly. We will have to do things from other neighboring countries. We will have to do things with a standoff capability, with eyes and ears and personnel in the air, on the ground, Running Networks. This is going to be a lot more challenging but, you know, it is a mission that the Intelligence Community is built for. I dont think Anybody Doubts that the agency, the agencies responsible for this mission are up for this challenge, and the president , im sure, is going to call on them, lean on them to conduct this mission. This covert Evacuation Mission, this Intelligence Collection Mission and this Counterterrorism Strike Mission i think is going to be an enduring feature of our landscape, our natural Security Landscape for months and years to come. Jeremy bash, one more question for you. The two agencies in which you served at the highest levels as chief of staff obviously profoundly impacted by the events not just since april but in the last 72 hours. I wonder what you are hearing from folks at the pentagon and folks at the cia . Well, not surprisingly, nicolle, theres a lot of heartbreak. I mean Theres Heartbreak over the 2,461 souls that were lost that General Mckenzie referenced, the people who gave the last measure of their devotion, paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Theres heartbreak in the Intelligence Community for the personnel lost there, and i was at the agency in 2009 when we lost seven cia officers in afghanistan when a Suicide Bomber killed those officers who deployed there to try to go get the senior leadership of Al Qaeda. So we left a lot on that battlefield, and the veterans, the former intelligence professionals, the former diplomats, the former usaid workers, the Ngo Personnel who i have been in touch with this week are determined to make sure that those people who worked with us come out and come out safely, and that mission is not over. I want to stress that. There are people at this very moment who remain in Harms Way, who are trying to get out of the country, who are literally trying to figure out where their next meal will come from, where their medical care will come from, and whether or not they will be able to leave afghanistan. It is not going to happen in the next 24 hours. It is not going to happen by some arbitrary deadline. It is going to happen and play out over months and years, and this will be the enduring mission for the United States and our allies and partners in the years to come. Let me bring into our conversation Matt Dowd, political strategist, founder of country over party, and Washington Post Correspondent And Msnbc contributor. Joining us, amy mcgrath, a Lieutenant Colonel who flew Combat Missions over afghanistan and iraq. Ill start with you, amy. Your reaction Todays News . I have been getting a lot of texts and Phone Calls from my fellow veterans. Look, we remain torn. We a lot of us wanted to get out of afghanistan. I think many of us feel like weve been there too long. At the same time we feel like it is our duty to get out as many people as we can who helped us in these missions, you know. In the basement of my house here, my husband both my husband and i still have gear and boots that have sand from afghanistan. So this is just a sad day for all of us, and we just want to hope that we can get as many refugees out as possible. Matt dowd, let me bring you in on this. This is personal for you, too. I have been saying for many days that this public, The American Public Grew Weary of the Countrys Commitment in afghanistan, i think before even some of the men and women who paid the ultimate price there. But i wonder your thoughts about the two halves of this that amy is talking about. Well, yeah, it is personal. You know, as you know, my oldest son, you know, joined the army in 2004 and did two tours of duty in iraq, and he has a ton of buddies that he trained with and served with that ended up in afghanistan. All of them, all of whom have thought for years we shouldnt be there. All of them thought for years, the ones that served, we shouldnt be there and what we were doing wasnt going to be successful in what we did. I have a slightly different take on this. I mean, yes, the sacrifice thats been done over the 20 years has been commendable, but lets keep in mind the sacrifice was not only the men and women who served, including my son and the others that we have talked to, but the sacrifice of the american public to this. This has been 2 Trillion thats been spent on a failed mission that could have been used for Peoples Health Care here, that could have been used to fight terrorism here. I heard mention that were worried about a Safe Haven for terrorists in afghanistan. Well, we have a Safe Haven for terrorists in america right now that has grown over the last ten years and metastasized and resulted in an insurrection in our u. S. Capitol in this. For Me Today is, yes, but the sadness is moreover political decisions that have been made over the last 20 years that allowed us to be in this place where we lost thousands of men and women and we lost trillions of dollars in the midst of this and were having to leave. I have to say thank you, President Biden, in this for the first in four president s to make the hard decisions. Before it was the easy decisions. It was, honestly, the easy political decisions to not pull up and not make the decision and not be clear with the american public that this was failed from the start and was never going to be successful in this. It was a hard decision for President Biden to make, but it was the right decision. In the end the implementation of the decision, he Got Out three times as many people, evacuated three times as many people as almost every single observer said could be done two weeks ago. Three times as many as could be done two weeks ago. Yes, theres still work to be done. Yes, theres still people there. But we are out of a war we should have never been in and we should begin to focus on what the american public wants us to focus on, which is all the things thats happening here, not the least of which is the fragile nature of our own democracy thats under attack here and the rising tide of White Supremacist terrorists in america. Thats the biggest problem we face today. So im glad it is over. Im glad the last troops came out. Im happy for it. Im sad that we were in this place to begin with, but Thank God Joe Biden made the tough choices to get this done because it is what the american people wanted. Anne gearen, i dont know that i covered anything, the delta between what the majority of americans feel, which is exactly what Matt Dowd just articulated, and the sort of National Security or foreign Policy Establishment is so much dramatic. I wonder i mean what Matt Dowd articulated is ultimately where President Biden landed on the question. Obviously he served as Vice President for President Obama who made a very different decision at a very different time in this war, but if you see it the way Matt Dowd does, history had us moving toward this tragic conclusion perhaps all along. I wonder what your reporting suggests this White House is feeling today with a public that has been war weary for many, many years, and our Lift Operation that is by any measure sizable and historic and, as everyone has reported, ongoing. But with folks like amy and other veterans still feeling like we have left some of our Brothers And Sisters and allies behind . Yeah, nicolle, this is an extraordinarily difficult line for the White House to walk. I mean part of what their response is, is exactly in line with what matt just said. Biden they hope and they expect that biden will be remembered as the president who ended the war, and that a lot of the controversy thats surrounding the way it was ended will fade with time. That is a harder argument to make after just having lost 13 Young Americans, but it remains their sort of guiding political principle here, that it was the right thing. In their view it was the right thing to do to end the war. It was the right thing for a whole lot of reasons, including but not limited to the fact that most americans wanted it to happen. In bidens view, the National Security reasons to be there had long since gone away and it had become a selfperpetuating Money Suck that needed to end. You know, he entered office intending to do that and he thinks that he deserves credit for doing so. You can hear sometimes in some of his remarks a real frustration with criticism that he thinks is, you know, from the Foreign Policy blob, from the very people who were part of the selfperpetuation to begin with. I think we are going to hear a little more of that after some time has passed and after these Young Americans have been laid to rest, all of the troops are safely out of the country fully and, you know, theres some chance to have some idea of what the next chapter in afghanistan is going to look like. I think that is what the White House is counting on eventually being the takeaway here. Jeremy bash, i want to pull you in and ask you personally what you think of not just the decision to leave, which i think as weve been discussing for many days now is something that the vast majority of americans is behind, but of what has been a tragic and difficult and perhaps more challenging departure than anyone anticipated . Yeah, nicolle. The way i feel about it is i think a little bit different than some other folks who have been on this panel. I dont view it as a failed mission. I dont view it as an inextricable failure over the last 20 years. As i said, we prevented another 9 11 attack on our country. We avenged the attack on our nation by going after Al Qaeda, decimating their leadership and giving the afghans the best Chance Theyve ever had to control their country through a central government. I just got to say that for 20 years weve made sure that our country has been safe. Thats not a failure at all. I think the reason why i think President Bidens decision was correct was so manifestly correct was because i think he said, look, weve achieved what we tried to do in the weeks and months after 9 11. We have prevented the organization Al Qaeda from having a Safe Haven there in afghanistan, and now that that mission is over were not getting a lot for our Military Presence there. If the taliban is going to step up their attacks against u. S. Forces in country because thats the deal that President Trump cut, well, im not going to be the person to deploy additional men and women to Harms Way that more people, more americans should die if the afghans are themselves not willing to fight for their country and theyre not. So i think President Bidens decision was absolutely correct. When the president stands on the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base and welcomes home our nations fallen heroes in that dignified Transfer Ceremony as he did the other day to honor american heroes, what is weighing on his mind is not just the sacrifice of those young individuals who gave their last measure of devotion for our country but the fact that he as Commander In Chief has to sign the deployment orders to send people like them into Harms Way. Hes absolutely determined not to do that if it is not going to protect american interests. I think the president made the right call. I have said for a long time he is the first president to look the american people in the Eye And Level with them. He was given an awful hand to deal with. I think the biden administration, you know, was absolutely correct in getting out of afghanistan. My only point is that there are aspects of the mission that must now go on. Theres Unfinished Business in afghanistan. It is going to fall to our intelligence professionals and others to conduct that operation and that mission. Jeremy, it is a small point but it is an important one. I know it is something that the White House tries to make sure people understand. There wasnt a Fantasy Scenario where things could stay the same because Donald Trump did a deal with the taliban and went so far as to invite them to Camp David. I mean the taliban was en route to Camp David under the last president , and it was thwarted, like not enough things, by his advisers. That was the status of u. S. taliban relations under the last president. What i understand from this White House is there wasnt a scenario where you could revert back to before trump did that, that what was on the table was leaving or an acceleration. Can you talk about that a little bit . Yeah, absolutely. The deal that the United States made under President Trump with the taliban was we will get out of afghanistan by May 1st, 2021, and in exchange dont attack u. S. Forces. The taliban largely upheld that end of the bargain, but when President Biden came into office i think he looked at the situation and said, look, if were going to leave by May 1 is st for u. S. Forces. He made the right call in extending it by several months so we could have an efficiently planned exit operation. The Military Part of the operation went very well. In fact, most of our forces were out of the country by midjuly and you didnt even hear about it because there werent headlines because it went so flawlessly, so quietly. It was the civilian piece, the residual embassy and the civilian Ex Filtration that was under such duress in those early days of august because the afghan National Security forces it is not that they fought and lost. They didnt fight. They actually gave up. And, as President Biden said, they didnt have the will to fight. So that is what changed the circumstances on a dime. As General Mckenzie said, we had to burn down our embassy in 48 hours, retrograde to the airport and get as many people out as possible. We got 120,000 people out. Thats no small fete, but there is more to be done, and the american people i think should understand that we are going to have to deal with the situation in afghanistan for a long time to come. Jeremy bash, thank you for sending some time with us on this historic day. Lucky for us, amy mcgrath, matthew dowd, Anne Gearan are sticking around for our ongoing coverage as we await Secretary Blinkens live remarks. They have been delayed until 6 00 p. M. Eastern. We are going to fit in a quick break. We are going to talk about those killed last week, two of whom were women. The stories of their service, the stories of their sacrifice in a moment. Deadline White House continues after a quick break. Dont go anywhere. Im so glad youre ok, sgt. Houston. This is sam with usaa. Do you see the Tow Truck . Yes, thank you, that was fast. Sgt. Houston never expected this to happen. Or that her Grandpas Dog tags would be Left Behind. But that one call got her a tow and rental. Paid her claim. And we even pulled a few strings. Making it easy to make things right thats what were made for. Usaa. What youre made of, were made for. Get a quote today. With Directv Stream, i can get live tv and on demand. Usaa. What youre made of, were made for. Together. Watch serena williams. Wonder woman. Serena. Wonder woman. Serena. Wonder woman. Ace. Advantage you cannot be serious. Get your tv together with the best of live and on demand. 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Troops killed in the Kabul Airport attack last week, two women marines who volunteered to search afghan evacuee women and children, showing bravery through their ultimate sacrifice and through their moments of comfort through the chaos of fleeing families. This soldier is seen accompanying young girls across the tarmac. She posted a picture a week before the attack cradling a baby and wrote this caption. I love my job. Killed in the attack, 25yearold marine Sergeant Johanny Rosario from massachusetts. The new york times says this about her. Rosarios service was not only crucial to evacuating thousands of women and children but epitomizes what it means to be a marine, putting herself in danger important the protection of american values so that others might enjoy them. Marine first lieutenant john coppola. Amy mcgrath, your thoughts . Thats what being a marine is all about, service to country. I think it is important to note to the american public that these marines, the marines that passed tragically in afghanistan, you know, they saved thousands of lives in what they were doing and thousands of lives of people they didnt even know, but those very same people who they saved to bring to a better life were the same people that stood side by side with those of us who fought in afghanistan as marines for 20 years. I think it is just about, you know, the most honorable thing you can do. Theyre absolutely heroic individuals, and it is just sad and, you know, im certainly glad that our time there is coming to an end, but these marines served heroically. Today is a day to honor all of those who fought and died in afghanistan from 2001 all the way to today. Anne gearan, the president and first lady, dr. Jill biden, set out to do just what amy is describing, to honor them yesterday. This is something i think that this president is uniquely fluent in, this language, as he calls it, a Black Hole of grief that parents feel when losing a loved one. Just take us inside your understanding of how that went. I know Jen Psaki talked about it today. These interactions are always about the families who have lost the people they love the most on the planet and the people they leave behind, but they change a president. Absolutely. And for the president , hes meeting these people on the day of their lives. To your point, this is something that biden has a unique personal history with and has really for quite a long time going back long before he was Vice President. You know, he made a point of trying to seek out people who had suffered a loss, giving people his phone number, you know, telling people to call his office, you know, if you need to talk to somebody, particularly parents who had lost a child. After his son beaus death, and, of course, he lost his very young daughter in a Car Crash 30 years before that. So his own personal story of Loss And Redemption is something that has been a big part of his political biography. It has also been a big part of who he is as a person and a politician. We dont know quite what happened yesterday in that interaction. Im sure some of them went well, but apparently at least a couple of them didnt go so well, and that would be a new thing for this president. In the main, his efforts to reach out and be empathetic, hug people, you know, say, look, i understand because i have been through them, have been not only wellreceived but a thing that really seemed to be part of, you know, a boon in his political makeup. It is a weird thing to think about that something so awful could ultimately go to a politicians benefit. It is just part of his Story And Part of who he is. It is definitely part of the way people think about him when theyre deciding to vote for him, and if that is changing in part because of reaction to whats happening in afghanistan, who the parents of these fallen marines and Army And Navy personnel might be, that would be different. We dont know yet enough about everything that happened in that room to make a judgment on that, but it definitely seemed like something was different. Matt dowd, you and i were i remember when your son deployed. I mean it is excruciating and it may be about this president , it may have nothing to do with this president , it may just be about pain. To your broader point and to a point you have been making forcefully and bravely and elegantly, more so than anyone else on television for many days now, this idea we never should have been there seems to be at least highlighted by the fact that a lot of papers headlines in their tributes to these men and women were about their age when 9 11 happened. They were babies. That is what is amazing about this. I mean i never thought when my son went in as if you have a child that serves in a war theres not a day that goes by that you dont hesitate and worry about picking up the newspaper or turning on the television and seeing some news about some attack somewhere where you think your child is. It is every single day, every single day. I think Joe Biden not only has mentioned before about his own personal tragedy that provides him the empathy, hes the first president in more than a generation, in more than a generation. Im trying to think of the last president that had a child that served in a War Zone. That gives you a special insight into what it means. It gives you an extra dose of empathy. I also think it gives you a sense of wisdom about decisions you make. You are not making a decision about going to war or staying in a war unrelated to your own personal circumstances, which i think is very informative. I think the fact that Joe Biden had a son that served in a War Zone has informed his decisions, and well it should. The decisions he makes i think are completely part of that decision, and im glad that we have a president that understands that pain, not only the people that serve and the sacrifices that serve, but the families that are left back at home worried about what is going on. The fact that he made the decision and the fact that we lost 13 people in this very tragically but very heroically, as was said, saving other peoples lives from around the world who they didnt even know the names of, i think should give some credit. Again, im going to say this again, to Joe Biden for making the hard choice. It was a very difficult, hard political choice to go through with this. But his empathy that is at his core, not only, as i said, from his personal circumstances but theres a special dose of empathy, which i think gives you wisdom as a Commander In Chief that we have not had a president in a long time that had, when you have somebody that is one of your children that has served. I think that is part of this story that i think why Joe Biden knew he was going to suffer the political backlash for many parts of this, many parts of and, again, i will say Thank God he made this decision. Thank you for Joe Biden for making this decision because i dont want to have to talk to another parent and give them advice about what it is like for them and how they can get through having a son or a daughter in a War Zone and them not knowing exactly what theyre accomplishing. Amy mcgrath, i want to give you the last word. I want your thoughts to anything thats been said. But i just want to ask you this question. What is helpful . What in the discourse, not that i control any of the discourse, but what is the best way to honor these families and their lives and their service and what they believed in . I think what is helpful right now and it is hard to sometimes watch the political Back And Forth using this conflict as sort of a political weapon. If people could try not to do that because, you know, the folks that served over there like myself, like my husband, we served protecting our country and we, you know, our service mattered, as was said in the panel previously. Hey, we havent been attacked in an 9 11style Fashion since 9 11, and Thats Something and it did matter. Theres lots of things that went wrong in afghanistan. I could be one of the first ones to say, you know, 10 or 20 or 100 things that went wrong. But at the end of the day we did have hows of americans that died, that sacrificed, and, you know, today is the day where we look back and we just need to honor them and try not to politicize this as much as possible. Amy amy mcdprat, matthew dow. Thank you so much for spending time with us on this historic day. We are grateful to all three of you. When we come back, a convergence of crises and pivotal moment for this White House and President Biden. We talk with president ial Historian Michael Beschloss as we wait for remarks from Secretary Of State Tony Blinken. Stay with us. Inken. Stay with us youll find a better life. It all starts with the most innovative technology. Like the new miracleearmini, available exclusively at miracleear. So small that No One will see it, but youll notice the difference. And now, miracleear is offering a thirtyday riskfree trial. You can experience better hearing with no obligation. Call 1800miracle right now and experience a better life. 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For help creating an emergency plan, visit safetyactioncenter. Pge. Com a little preparation will make you and your family safer in an emergency. A Weeks Worth of food and water, radio, flashlight, batteries and first Aid Kit are a good start to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter. Pge. Com we continue our Breaking Coverage of the end of the Military Operation, end of the War In Afghanistan. The pentagon earlier this hour announcing the last u. S. Troops have left that country. We are waiting Secretary Of State Tony Blinken, he will brief reporters on whats next. Thats coming at the top of the hour. Right now, we get to talk to Nbc News president ial his tore arbery, michael beschloss, about all of it. Talking about the end of a 20 Year War in afghanistan. It is very sad as you know better than almost anyone, we came in with noble motives 20 years ago, october of 2001. A desire to punish afghanistan for having harbored Al Qaeda, from its territory committed the attacks of 9 11. Then a desire to make afghanistan some form of a brief democracy. We spent 20 years doing our best, it didnt work. Afghanistan was not going to be a greek democracy. We learned a lesson from that. I think the Thing Today is we have to honor military heroes and everyone else that risked their lives so people could live in a more human way in afghanistan. It hasnt worked In The End, but at the same time i think it is not particularly today a day to question motives. Were just learning that President Biden will address the nation tomorrow. We heard from General Mckenzie, centcom commander. We are awaiting remarks from Secretary Of State Tony Blinken. This White House is engaged in meetings at a Cabinet Level with veterans groups. I wonder what you make of what is a herculian effort to communicate. Every step of what you said is a very, very challenging sort of end to whats been a challenging war. I know firsthand that the public was weary of this war. Sure. Shortly after it began. This president very much in line with public opinion about ending the war but very much still getting criticism from national Security Establishment figures. What do you make of how theyre doing and communicating . Well, i think they are learning lessons from earlier cases in which we did not do this so well. As you know, nicolle, it is harder to end a war than get into one. Lyndon johnson in 1965 faced the prospect of sending ground troops to vietnam. He knew in private it might lead to a half million americans in vietnam, maybe 50 or 60,000 americans killed. He knew that in 1965, but In The End he did not want to bury the in Cue Bus of saying youre soft on communism. He was worried it might effect his domestic program, people might not vote for medicare if they thought he was a leader that let down the cause of freedom in vietnam. Johnson made what was in retrospect a bad decision. Joe biden is not making a decision about starting a war, he is making a decision about ending one, and he may take a lot of political unpopularity from some of the things he has said and done particularly in the last month. If you look at the vietnam example, nicolle, Gerald Ford had to make the decision at the end to pull the plug on saigon. Even though we know that Richard Nixon promised the south vietnamese foft that if the north came back in the south and attacked, we would go back with Air Power and try to win the war. Ford was not making a decision that was preordained. But the point im making is this. When historians look at the War In Afghanistan, yes, they will notice things that happened during the last couple of months that are heavy on our hearts but at the same time what they will really pay attention to is the president s who began and managed this war, president george w. Bush, President Obama, and President Trump, and to the extent Joe Biden has been involved the last couple months, Joe Biden. It will be a verdict i think In The End will be this began with noble motives but you cant conduct a war that americans do not understand and they do not support. Long before the end of 20 years, thats what happened. Joe biden recognized it. I wonder if you can put this stewardship of this ending of the War In Afghanistan next to his attempt to vaccinate a country, 40 of which would rather take Horse Dewormer than an fda approved vaccine next to what appears like natural disaster after natural disaster after natural disaster because of climate change. I mean, what is the historical parallel for having to manage the three front burner crises at once . Thats what president s do, as you know, nicolle. President george h. W. Bush had to deal with invasion of kuwait at the same time he was doing budget talks with congress that led to raising of taxes. Thats how theyre paid their salaries. But at the same time, i think if you look at what Joe Biden has done, i think he has learned one of the lessons of vietnam which is our troops were treated horribly when that War Ended. In some cases, they were spat upon, they certainly were not given parades. And i know under Joe Biden, he will make sure all americans despite the fact they listen to president s less than they did 50 years ago will honor them as they should. Michael beschloss, we woke up this morning, said today is the day we need to hear from you. Thank you so much for making some time with us today. Thank you. We are moments away from the Secretary Of State Tony Blinken. Coverage continues with my colleague Ari Melber and the beat. Hi, ari. Hi, nicolle. Thank you very much. Our coverage continues with the beat. We are tracking breaking news on the end of the War In Afghanistan. At any moment, we will hear from