US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN CALLS AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE OF MAY 1 ‘TOUGH’

Wed 17 March 2021:

US President Joe Biden said it would be “tough” to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by May 1, a deadline set out in a deal former President Donald Trump’s administration made with the Taliban, told ABC news in an interview published on Wednesday.

All United States’ servicemen could leave Afghanistan by May 1 but it “will be tough,” President Joe Biden

“It could happen,” Biden said, adding “but it is tough.”

The US President also said that the final decision on the pullout of troops is yet to be made and Washington is consulting with its allies on the matter.

“The fact is that, that was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president — the former president [Donald Trump] — worked out. And so we’re in consultation with our allies as well as the government, and that decision’s going to be — it’s in process now,” Biden said.

Former President Donald Trump agreed with the Taliban last year to pull U.S. troops from the country in exchange for commitments on peace talks and other issues. At that time, there were more than 12,000 troops there, down from a peak of more than 100,000 in 2011.