President Biden Thursday sought to restore confidence in American allies who expressed “deep concern” over the disastrous evacuation of the US in Afghanistan, with one declaring that “the world is watching” after the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country.

In an interview with ABC News, Biden also claimed that “no one is being killed” amid the chaos at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai airport – despite officials saying there had been at least 12 fatalities in the vicinity since the Taliban seized control.

Biden’s rosy scenario was not shared by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who expressed concern about the treatment of women and girl’s under the Taliban, whose former rule was cruel and inhumane.

“The whole world is watching,” Arden said. “Taliban is making claims about the type of administration they wish to be. We would implore them to allow people to leave safely.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was wary of the Taliban’s treatment of Afghan forces and US allies still in the country.

“As a partner committed for many years to helping Afghanistan build its future, we are deeply concerned at the potential for further loss of life and suffering,” Morrison said.

“The Taliban will be held fully accountable for any killing or other mistreatment of Afghan military and other security forces who have surrendered or been captured.”

The deaths near Kabul airport were caused by stampedes of people trying to get to the airport or by gunshots fired in the area, a Taliban official told Reuters. At least two – including an ex-soccer player – plunged to their deaths mid-air after clinging to a US military plane when it took off.

Biden’s sit down with ABC came after British lawmakers voiced fears and concerns about the chaotic turn of events at an emergency session of Parliament Wednesday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told officials that as the US’ staunchest ally in the war on terror, he had little choice but to go along with the pullout in Afghanistan.

“The West could not continue this U.S.-led mission, a mission conceived and executed in support of America, without American logistics, without U.S. air power and without American might,” he said.

A day earlier, a German leader called the withdrawal a “serious and far-reaching miscalculation by the current administration,” according to Politico.

“This does fundamental damage to the political and moral credibility of the West,” Norbert Röttgen, chairman of the German parliament’s foreign relations committee, reportedly said.

When questioned about the “pandemonium” at the airport, Biden told ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos: “No one’s being killed right now, God forgive me if I’m wrong about that, but no one’s being killed right now.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Stephanopoulos questioned Biden about how adversaries and allies are discounting America’s commitments around the globe and as a partner of NATO, following the withdrawal that left thousands of Americans and allies at the mercy of the Taliban.

“We have kept every commitment. We made a sacred commitment to Article Five that if in fact anyone were to invade or take action against our NATO allies, we would respond. Same with Japan, same with South Korea, same with Taiwan. It’s not even comparable to talk about that,” Biden said, referring to the article that stipulates that an attack on any member of the alliance is an attack on all allies.

But Stephanopoulos said China is already telling Taiwan, “See? You can’t count on the Americans.”

“Look, George, the idea that there’s a fundamental difference between Taiwan, South Korea, NATO. We are in a situation where they are entities we’ve made agreements with based not on a civil war they’re having on that island or in South Korea, but on an agreement where they have a unity government that, in fact, is trying to keep bad guys from doing bad things to them,” the president said in the interview.

Stephanopoulos pressed on whether the US can keep its promises to its allies.

“Who’s gonna say that? Look, before I made this decision, I met with all our allies, our NATO allies in Europe. They agreed. We should be getting out,” Biden said. 

The president went on to say he would ramp up diplomatic efforts with the US’ global partners to “make sure we have a coherent view of how we’re going to deal from this point on.”

He was also asked about whether the Taliban who have taken over Afghanistan are the same radical group of fighters who took over the country in 1996 and instituted Sharia law, confined women to their homes and carried out public executions.

“I think they’re going through sort of an existential crisis about do they want to be recognized by the international community as being a legitimate government? I’m not sure they do,” Biden said.

But Stephanopoulos said the Taliban care more about their beliefs.

“Well, they do. But they also care about whether they have food to eat, whether they have an income … that they can make any money and run an economy. They care about whether or not they can hold together the society that they in fact say they care so much about,” he said.

Biden also denied that his military advisers warned him to leave about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan as peace talks continued between the Taliban and Afghan government officials, instead of pulling out all troops by the end of August.

“No, they didn’t. It was split. That wasn’t true. That wasn’t true,” Biden said.

Stephanopoulos asked if the military leaders wanted troops to stay, to which Biden responded, “No,” but hedged by adding, “that I can recall.”

“No. Not in terms of whether we were going to get out in a timeframe all troops. They didn’t argue against that,” the president said. “No. No one said that to me that I can recall.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley encouraged Biden to keep the troop presence at 2,500, the number of forces left by the Trump administration.

The report said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also worried about withdrawing all troops.

Biden also addressed concerns that al Qaeda would re-form in Afghanistan now that the Taliban have taken control of the country and plot attacks like they did on 9/11.

Stephanopoulos asked if the terror group could come back in less than the 18 to 24 months predicted.

“It could be. But George, look, here’s the deal. Al Qaeda, ISIS, they metastasize. There’s a significantly greater threat to the United States from Syria. There’s a significantly greater threat from East Africa. There’s a significant greater threat to other places in the world than it is from the mountains of Afghanistan. And we have maintained the ability to have an over-the-horizon capability to take them out,” the president insisted.

Biden was asked if he has confidence that America will maintain that ability in Afghanistan.

“I’m confident we’re going to have the overriding capability, yes. Look, George, it’s like asking me, you know, am I confident that people are going to act even remotely rationally. Here’s the deal. The deal is the threat from al Qaeda and their associate organizations is greater in other parts of the world to the United States than it is from Afghanistan,” he said.