US President Joe Biden's defense of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was callous, self-serving and deeply unconvincing, said a Bloomberg editorial published on Aug 20.

The article said the question is no longer whether US troops should have stayed. It's how the US can minimize the damage caused by this grievously bungled exit.

The article pointed out the pathways that the US could take after withdrawal. The US should do all it can to ensure the safe passage of Afghans who qualify for US visas to the Kabul airport. The US should also drive global efforts to head off a broader refugee crisis. Europe's governments are warning asylum-seekers against trying to reach the West. The US should lead by example, committing to take its fair share of any outflow. It should also rally donors to fill the gaping hole in the region's United Nations refugee funding. And it should use next week's G-7 talks to advance a broader resettlement plan for Afghans, like the one created for Indochinese refugees after the Vietnam War. The US should work with its Security Council partners to ensure the Taliban allows aid to flow freely.

Besides, the US must come to grips with what is likely to be an expanded terror threat under the Taliban. Intelligence agencies will have to rededicate resources and ramp up surveillance to track any surge in jihadists to the country. They should strengthen contacts with former CIA assets and Afghan commandos, who might provide eyes and ears on the ground, the article suggested.

Recovering from this setback will take time, effort and resources, but it will also require close and concerted cooperation with allies, and the work starts now, the article concluded.