Joe Biden stunned by pace of Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

President Joe Biden follows first lady Jill Biden as they board Marine One to depart Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Delaware (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

President Joe Biden and other top US officials were stunned by the pace of the Taliban’s nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan, as the planned withdrawal of American forces urgently became a mission to ensure a safe evacuation.

The speed of the Afghan government’s collapse and the ensuing chaos posed the most serious test of Mr Biden as commander in chief, and he was the subject of withering criticism from Republicans who said that he had failed.