Washington: US President Joe Biden has announced that all US troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan before September 11, an attempt to end the longest war in US history.
“The United States will begin our final withdrawal, and it will begin on May 1 this year,” Biden said in his remarks in the White House on Wednesday, the Xinhua news agency reported.
“U.S. troops, as well as the forces deployed by our NATO allies and operational partners, will be out of Afghanistan before we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.”
“It’s time to end America’s longest war. It is time for US troops to return home, ” he said, pointing out that the US had achieved its counter-terrorism goals in Afghanistan.
In his remarks, Biden made it clear that the withdrawal was not subject to any changes to the conditions on the land.
“We cannot continue the cycle of expanding or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan in the hope of creating ideal conditions for the withdrawal and expecting a different outcome,” he said.
“I am now the fourth American president to lead the US troops in Afghanistan. Two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not transfer this responsibility to a fifth. ”
The coming September 11 is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that have waged the United States in war in Afghanistan. Biden said 2,488 U.S. military personnel were killed, and 20,722 were wounded in this longest war in U.S. history.
Biden stressed that the US will continue to support the Afghan government and provide assistance to the Afghan army after the withdrawal. “While we will not remain militarily involved in Afghanistan, our diplomatic and humanitarian work will continue.”
Meanwhile, he expressed US support for the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban facilitated by the United Nations.
Biden spoke to Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani earlier in the day. The two leaders discussed continued commitment to a strong bilateral partnership following the departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, according to a White Paper issued by the White House.
The latest decision extends the deadline negotiated between the previous government and the Afghan Taliban last year to withdraw US troops on May 1.
The United States and the Taliban signed an agreement at the end of February 2020, requesting that foreign forces be fully withdrawn from Afghanistan by May 2021 if the Taliban meet the terms of the agreement, including severing ties with terrorist groups.
The Biden government concluded that the Taliban had not fulfilled its commitment under the US-Taliban agreement.
The Pentagon said there are about 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but U.S. media recently said the number does not include more than 1,000 U.S. special forces in the country. In addition, about 7,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan rely on US logistics and security support.
Source: Telangana Today