The Washington Post first reported the withdrawal news.
The Biden administration “has long known that military power will not solve Afghanistan’s internal political challenges, nor end Afghanistan’s internal conflict,” a senior administration official told a small group of reporters on Tuesday. “And so we are ending our military operations as we focus our efforts to diplomatically support the ongoing peace process.”
The NATO troops will withdraw from Afghanistan at the same time, the person noted, adding that the withdrawal is not based on conditions and will continue despite the security situation in the country.
“The president has judged that a conditional base, which has been the approach for the past two decades, is a recipe for staying in Afghanistan forever,” the official said, pointing out that the US exodus would begin before May 1 and be completed by 11 September at the latest.
However, the person stressed that the Biden government will not remove the eyes of the continuing terrorist threat from Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. The US will reposition its anti-terrorist troops and equipment in the region to prevent the rise of an al-Qaeda that could threaten the United States and keep the Taliban in check.
If the Taliban renewed attacks on American forces, “we will fight back hard and hold ourselves accountable,” the person said.
Biden came to the decision after consultation with NATO allies and partners in Afghanistan, and after his administration completed a review that ‘does not drown out the options or rely on the best situations’, the person said.
Reports of the Biden government’s plans have garnered praise from progressive lawmakers who have long campaigned for a complete withdrawal from the country.
“I applaud President Biden for achieving an impossibility here in Washington: an end to an eternal war. It is an act of extraordinary political courage and vision, ‘said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), a longtime proponent of military deployment abroad.
GOP Falcons, on the other hand, were quick to address the decision as premature and short-sighted and asked Biden to reconsider.
“To say I’m worried is a big understatement – it’s a reckless and dangerous decision,” said Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Top Republican in the Armed Services Committee. ‘Nobody wants an eternal war, but I have always said that any withdrawal must be based on conditions. Random deadlines are likely to jeopardize our troops, jeopardize all the progress we have made and lead to civil war in Afghanistan – and create a breeding ground for international terrorists. We’re talking here about protecting American lives. ‘
Biden administration and Pentagon officials have indicated for months that they will not meet the May 1 deadline to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Biden did not commit to a withdrawal during a press conference last month, saying a full withdrawal by that date would be difficult. But he added that he could not propose troops on the ground in Afghanistan next year.
“We will leave. The question is when we will leave,” Biden said.
And with a few more weeks before the deadline, military officials said it would be nearly impossible to meet it. The approximately 3,500 troops were able to be transported by plane fairly quickly, but a rushed exit would present challenges for the protection of violence and necessitate the destruction of sensitive equipment or leaving it in the hands of the Afghan security forces.
Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Genl. Scott Miller, commander of the US forces in Afghanistan, dates from the Trump administration and pleads for the maintenance of a small US presence on the ground, made up mainly of special operational forces and paramilitary advisers, to keep the Taliban in check and to deal with the simmering terrorist threat of al-Qaeda and ISIS, according to three former officials familiar with the discussions.
Meanwhile, General Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, recently warned that if US withdrawal continues before diplomatic efforts can reach an agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government, fighting will intensify across the country.
“If we withdraw and no agreement is reached with the Taliban, I think the government of Afghanistan is going to have a very hard fight to retain ownership of urban population centers,” McKenzie warned.
Military leaders, especially in the special operations community, are concerned that when the US withdraws, the terrorist threat will develop and grow in the major undisputed regions of Afghanistan, one former military official familiar with the talks said.
Yet there is a growing feeling that ‘it was 20 years ago, how much GDP and how much treasure and blood are we going to throw at this impossible problem?’
A senior U.S. defense official said that prior to the president’s decision, the Pentagon offered the president the full range of options, from maintaining current levels of power to withdrawal troops.