Amid concerns over the future of Afghanistan and a painstaking search for an end to the longest U.S. war, President Joe Biden has said he would withdrawal all American troops from the battle-scarred country by September 11 this year.
The U.S. military exit would be completed by the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks following which the United States invaded the landlocked country, beginning its longest war.
As per this decision, the U.S. will keep thousands of forces in the country beyond the May 1 exit deadline that Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump negotiated last year with the Taliban, the Post quoted “one person familiar with the matter” as saying without identifying him.
Biden said the U.S. “cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, and expecting a different result.”
“I am now the fourth United States president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats,” Biden said. “I will not pass this responsibility onto a fifth.”
https://www.viewsnews.net/2020/06/02/afghanistan-hopes-uncertainties/
Speaking from the White House, Biden said that he would begin to withdraw troops on May 1, the deadline for complete withdrawal outlined in a deal the Trump administration reached with the Taliban.
“It is time to end America’s longest war. It is time for American troops to come home.”
Meanwhile, the Afghan Taliban and President Ashraf Ghani’s government are nowhere near a political agreement on power-sharing. The Taliban are demanding strict adherence to the May 1 pullout deadline of all foreign troops. Kabul is not clear about how it handles the political transition and has demanded that a ceasefire is in effect before any political negotiations outcome.
“I spoke yesterday with President Bush to inform him of my decision” on withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
Biden made his remarks from the same spot where Bush announced the beginning of U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan almost two decades ago https://t.co/FZa2RRQe2A pic.twitter.com/W9wBedSGHX
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) April 14, 2021
Earlier, The Washington Post reported the decision the Biden Administration had arrived at on the Afghan war question.
“While the Taliban has vowed to renew attacks on U.S. and NATO personnel if foreign troops are not out by the deadline, it is not clear if the militants will follow through with those threats given Biden’s plan for a phased withdrawal between now and September,” the report said.
There are 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan according to reports. However, the number fluctuates and is currently about 1,000 more than that. There are also up to an additional 7,000 foreign forces in the coalition there, the majority of the NATO troops.
Tonight, I had a call with President Biden in which we discussed the U.S. decision to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by early September. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan respects the U.S. decision and we will work with our U.S. partners to ensure a smooth transition.
— Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) April 14, 2021
The newspaper says Biden’s decision comes after an Administration review of U.S. options in Afghanistan, where peace talks have failed to advance as hoped and the Taliban remains a potent force despite two decades of effort by the United States to defeat the militants and establish stable, democratic governance.
The war has cost trillions of dollars in addition to the lives of more than 2,000 U.S. service members and at least 100,000 Afghan civilians.
