I also urge them to engage in diplomacy, to seek a political settlement with the Taliban.
This advice was flatley refused.
Mr. Ghani insisted the Afghan forces would fight but obviously he was wrong.
Left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay, how many more generations of America's daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistan's civil war when Afghan troops will not?
How many more lives, American lives, is it worth?
How many endless roads of head stones at arlington national cemetery?
I'm clear on my answer.
I will not repeat the mistakes we've made in the past, mistake of staying, fighting indefinitely for a conflict not in the national interest of the United States, of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country, of attempting to remaining country to the endless military developments of U.S. Forces.
Those are the mistakes we cannot continue to repeat because we have significant vital interests in the world that we cannot afford to ignore.
I also want to acknowledge how painful this is to so many.
Seems we're seeing in Afghanistan -- the scenes we're seeing in Afghanistan are gut-wrenching particularly for our veterans, diplomats, humanitarian workers, for anyone who has spent time on the ground working to support the Afghan people, for those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and for Americans who have fought and served in the country, serve our country in Afghanistan.
This is deeply deeply personal.
This for me as well.
I've worked on these issues as long as anyone.
I've been throughout Afghanistan during this war while the war was going on, from Kabul to Kandahar to the Kunar valley.
I've traveled on four different occasions.
I met with the people, I've spoken to the leaders.
I spent time with our troops and I came to understand first hand what was and was not possible in Afghanistan.
So now we're focused on what is possible.
We will continue to support the Afghan people.
We will lead with our diplomacy, our international influence and humanitarian AID.
We'll continue to push for regional diplomacy and engagement against violence and instability.
We'll continue to speak out for the basic rights of Afghan people, of women and girls, just as we speak out all over the world.
I've been clear human rights must be the center of our foreign policy, not the periphery.
But the way to do it is not through endless military deployments.
