‘HARD’ TO MEET MAY 1 AFGHANISTAN TROOP EXIT DEADLINE, SAYS BIDEN

Fri 26 March 2021:

US President Joe Biden told reporters on Thursday the United States may not meet the May 1 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan due to tactical issues.

“It is going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline in terms of tactical reasons,” Biden said when asked about the US troop exit from Afghanistan.

“We will leave, the question is when we leave,” he said. “But we’re not staying a long time.”

Asked whether he envisions US soldiers still in Afghanistan in 2022, the president said: “I can’t picture that being the case.”

Biden’s acknowledgement comes one week after he said he was in the process of making a decision over the troops, and that a withdrawal on time “could happen, but it is tough.”

The Taliban quickly reacted to Biden’s comments, with a spokesman telling AFP there would be “consequences” if the United States did not stick to the agreed timetable – further raising pressure on the fragile peace process.

On Thursday, Biden noted ongoing international discussions on Afghanistan, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meetings with NATO allies that have troops in Afghanistan.

“And if we leave, we’re going to do so in a safe and orderly way,” Biden said.

The United States is supposed to pull out all its troops by May 1 in an agreement that saw the Taliban agree to peace talks with the Afghan administration of President Ashraf Ghani.

The country has been engulfed by a two-decade insurgency by the Taliban since the Islamist militants were ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001 for harbouring the al Qaeda terror network.

Trump, who dubbed the conflict America’s “endless war”, cut troop numbers during his final days in office to 2,500 – their lowest figure since the start of operations 20 years ago.