How the United States will view Mr. Karzai’s re-emergence was unclear. Chaos still engulfed the nation’s capital, a fiasco whose political fallout President Biden is struggling to contain. In an afternoon news conference at the White House, Mr. Biden defended the administration’s widely criticized evacuation effort. Mr. Biden also said that the Aug. 31 deadline for removing all American troops could be extended if necessary. Mr. Biden said he did not know whether the Taliban could be trusted to form an “inclusive” government and rule with greater moderation than in their first time in power.

Source: International New York Times August 22, 2021 23:05 UTC