Although he wants to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by September, President Biden has promised that Afghanistan will remain a lasting partner for President Ghani. He did so during Connie’s visit to Washington.
Biden wants 2,500 troops and 16,000 recruits to leave Afghanistan by September. This marks the end of a twenty-year U.S. presence and struggle against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the country. The United States invaded Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks because the then-ruling Taliban defended terrorists such as Osama bin Laden.
Since 2001, 2,400 soldiers have been killed and 20,000 wounded. Biden wants the army to leave for the 20th anniversary on September 11, but says he will not abandon the Afghans.
Uncertainty
The withdrawal of the declared troops led to uncertainty in the Afghan government. He worries that the Taliban are gaining strength and that the country could collapse again during the period when radical Islamists were in power and that a brutal version of Islam was imposed, such as the late 1990s.
Connie’s visit takes place during newspaper week The Wall Street Journal U.S. intelligence estimates that his government could fall within six months of the military’s withdrawal.
In recent weeks, the Taliban have again attacked dozens of districts and surrounded cities. Something that has been going on continuously in recent years, but is being viewed with more attention in light of the withdrawal of announced troops.
The American media compares the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam in 1973. Two years later, the US-backed South Vietnamese government collapsed and Communist North Vietnam took over.
Pressure medium
Biden will not back down from his decision. His announcement is a way to put pressure on the Afghan government to reach an agreement with the Taliban to end the attacks. Negotiations have been going on in Qatar since last September, but without concrete results. The Taliban want to control the country.
