US' Antony Blinken says Afghanistan mission 'successful', rejects comparison with Saigon

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday insisted that the mission in Afghanistan has been "successful", rejecting its comparison with Saigon. His remarks come at a time when the Taliban is on the verge of re-capturing the war-ravaged country as it enters the capital city Kabul. Blinken said that the US entered Afghanistan with one mission, that is to deal with the people who attacked us on 9/11 and that mission has been successful, as reported by AFP. He also rejected comparisons with the American departure from Saigon as the Vietnam War drew to a close in 1975. The US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan is being compared to Saigon, as the capital of then US-backed South Vietnam was recaptured by Communist-ruled North Vietnam two years after America's pullout. The United States was in the country for 19 years. In the backdrop of US and NATO spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build up Afghan Security forces, the Taliban defeated them swiftly, gaining control over most of Afghanistan. Ashraf Ghani leaves Afghanistan Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has reportedly fled to Tajikistan. He has also resigned as the president of the war-torn country. “The former Afghan president has left the nation,” Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the chief of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), said in a video on his Facebook page. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's first Vice President Amrullah Saleh has claimed that he will not bow in front of the extremist group under any circumstances. "I will never betray d soul & legacy of my hero Ahmad Shah Masoud, the commander, the legend & the guide. I won't dis-appoint millions who listened to me. I will never be under one ceiling with Taliban. NEVER," he tweeted. Amid the ongoing negotiations for a peaceful transfer of power, the Taliban has entered Kabul. They justified the move by saying that their entry was necessary to prevent looting after Afghan forces deserted their posts.

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US' Antony Blinken says Afghanistan mission 'successful', rejects comparison with Saigon

The US entered Afghanistan with one mission i.e. to deal with the people who attacked us on 9/11 and that mission has been successful, Antony Blinken said.

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