Nevertheless, Washington will continue to provide assistance to the Afghan government and the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. President Biden also called on other countries in the region, particularly, China, Pakistan and Russia, to do more to support the war-torn nation.
The American leader noted that US troops were deployed to Afghanistan owing to the horrific attack that took place 20 years ago. Therefore, it’s time to shift their attention towards other pressing issues, such as competition with China, instead of focusing on the past, he said.
Although former President Donald Trump pledged last year to fully withdraw US troops by the end of this month, however, President Biden has admitted that this deadline could not be met. Nevertheless, a senior official of the Biden administration said on Tuesday that the withdrawal of American forces will begin before 1 May, with a plan to have all troops out of the country by 11 September.
According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, ahead of his remarks on Wednesday, President Biden spoke with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani about the drawdown. Subsequently, President Ghani said on Twitter that Kabul respects the decision of the United States and pledged to “work with our US partners to ensure a smooth transition”.
