Biden plans withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11

PRESIDENT Joe Biden has decided to leave US troops in Afghanistan beyond a May 1 deadline and has set the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks as the new goal, officials said.

The May 1 deadline had been negotiated with the Taliban by the

Trump administration. Mr Biden has been hinting for weeks that he was going to let the deadline lapse, and as the days went by it became clear that an orderly withdrawal of the remaining 2,500 troops would be difficult and was unlikely.

US officials provided details on Mr Biden’s decision, speaking ahead of the announcement.

It was first reported by The Washington Post. His decision risks retaliation by the Taliban on US and Afghan forces, possibly escalating the 20-year war. And it will reignite political division over America’s involvement in what many have called the endless war.

Setting the September 11 date, however, underscores the reason that American troops were in Afghanistan to begin with – to prevent extremist groups from establishing a foothold in the country again that could be used to launch attacks against the US.

In a February 2020 agreement with the administration of then president Donald Trump, the Taliban agreed to halt attacks and hold peace talks with the Afghan government, in exchange for a US commitment to a complete withdrawal by May 2021.

Over the past year, US military commanders and defence officials have said that attacks on US troops have largely paused, but they say the Taliban have increased attacks on the Afghans.