US to leave troops in Afghanistan beyond May
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden decided to leave American troops in Afghanistan beyond the May 1 deadline negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration, and set the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks as the new goal, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Biden hinted 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. U.S. officials provided details on Biden’s decision on condition of anonymity before the announcement. It was first reported by The Washington Post.
Biden’s decision risks retaliation by the Taliban on U.S. 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 9/11 date underscores the reason that American troops were in Afghanistan to begin with: to prevent extremist groups from re-establishing a foothold in the country that could be used to launch attacks against the U.S.
In a February 2020 agreement with the administration of President Donald Trump, the Taliban agreed to halt attacks and hold peace talks with the Afghan government, in exchange for a U.S. commitment to a complete withdrawal by May 2021.
In the past year, officials say, attacks on U.S. troops have mostly paused but Taliban attacks on the Afghans have increased. Commanders argued that the Taliban failed to meet the conditions of the peace agreement by continuing attacks on the Afghans and failing to cut ties with al-qaida and other groups.