West struggles with Afghanistan chaos, Biden again defends withdrawal

A baby is handed over to the American army over the perimeter wall of the airport for it to be evacuated, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 19, 2021. OMAR HAIDARI/via REUTERS

KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Chaos around the Kabul airport was so bad this week that the U.S. military was forced to use three helicopters to transport 169 Americans into the complex from a building just 200 meters (656 feet) away, the Pentagon said on Friday.

As Western nations struggled to ramp up the pace of evacuations from Afghanistan amid the chaos and reports of Taliban violence, U.S. President Joe Biden confronted criticism about his administration's planning for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the Islamic militants' swift takeover of the country.