US President Joe Biden has publicly addressed the world in his first speech since America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan came to an end

Biden defended his administration’s decision to withdraw from the troubled nation, saying the decision to depart was “between escalating and leaving”.

The President says he never wanted to extend this war forever, and withdrawing troops was the only option aside from surging more forces to the country.

Biden admitted that even he was caught off guard by the Taliban’s rapid and swift takeover of Afghanistan, but says the military was prepared to deal with such events.

The Taliban takeover followed years of fighting by US special forces, with around 2,000 Americans losing their lives and over $2 trillion spent on the war.

In his speech, Biden also paid tribute to all service members who helped coordinate and action the withdrawal, including the 13 individuals who died in the ISIS-K terrorist attack.

Biden says “for weeks they risked their lives to get American citizens, Afghans who helped, citizens of allies and partners, and others… on board planes and out of the country”.

The President is facing intense backlash for his decision to withdraw and for the way it was handled but believes the decision to leave was the right one.