Posted in International, Military Matters

Ending the War in Afghanistan U.S. Troops to be Fully Withdrawn by 9/11

 2021年4月14日

An unnamed U.S. official told the media that President Joe Biden will announce on the 14th (local time) that all U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be withdrawn before 9/11, the 20th anniversary, ending the longest war in U.S. history. This deadline is about 5 months later than the deadline of the agreement between former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and the Taliban (Taliban), an Afghan militia group.

U.S. officials said, “Biden has made the judgment that setting the terms of withdrawal would likely just result in U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan forever, with the past 20 years as a precedent.” Officials also said the U.S. should change its priorities.

The unnamed official said a small number of personnel will be left behind to guard U.S. diplomatic facilities after the U.S. troops withdraw.

U.S. officials said the withdrawal will begin in May, with delays mainly due to logistics, and that U.S. troops should be able to withdraw by Sept. 11. There are currently about 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Officials also warned the Taliban that the U.S. would “respond forcefully” if they attacked U.S. troops on their way out.

AFP mentioned that Biden would not link the withdrawal to the situation on the ground, but there is growing concern among locals that the Taliban may have the upper hand over the internationally backed government in Kabul and that the conflict is likely to continue.

U.S. intelligence agencies just released a threat assessment earlier, warning that if U.S.-led coalition forces withdraw from Afghanistan, the struggling Afghan government “will have difficulty” stopping the “confident” Taliban offensive.

The former U.S. President Donald Trump reached an agreement with the Taliban last February, agreeing to withdraw all U.S. troops by May this year, but only if the Taliban promised not to support Al-Qaeda and other extremists. 2001, the U.S. was attacked by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Afghan army, overthrowing the Taliban regime that harbors Osama bin Laden, the head of Al-Qaeda.