Joe Biden Will Withdraw US Troops From Afghanistan To Coincide With The 20th Anniversary Of 9/11

On September 11, 2021, the United States will withdraw from Afghanistan after 19 years, 11 months and four days, since the George W. Bush government attacked the Afghan Taliban regime on October 7, 2001. 

US President Joe Biden has decided that he will withdraw US troops from Afghanistan on September 11, 2021, on the 20th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks against New York and the Pentagon that led to Washington's military intervention in it. country , in what has been its longest war. This has been assured by three sources familiar with Biden's decision to the Reuters agency.

The withdrawal, however, will be made based on security and human rights guarantees, according to the same sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, shortly before the announcement was made. No further details are known about this move.

Biden himself is expected to publicly announce his decision and that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will inform NATO allies.

If this date is confirmed, the US would not meet the deadline for the withdrawal of its troops agreed with the Taliban for next May 1, as agreed by the Donald Trump Administration. The extremist militia, in a statement dated last month, threatened to resume hostilities against foreign troops if the withdrawal deadline was not met.

However, the 9/11 date would still set a short-term limit for the withdrawal, which could allay Taliban concerns that Biden could prolong the process.

An official source from the Biden Administration has emphasized that the withdrawal will not obey new conditions. "The president has judged that an approach based on conditions, which is the one that has prevailed in the last two decades, is the recipe to remain in Afghanistan forever," he assured.

The May 1 deadline had already started to look less and less likely in recent weeks, given the lack of preparations on the ground to ensure that it could be done in a safe and responsible manner. US officials have also blamed the Taliban for failing to deliver on commitments to reduce violence, and some have warned of Islamists' persistent ties to Afghan al Qaeda.

It was these ties that triggered US military intervention in 2001 following the Al Qaeda attacks on September 11 in New York and Washington, in which 3,000 people lost their lives, because the Taliban had harbored Al Qaeda leaders. Thousands of American and allied soldiers have died during these two decades of fighting in Afghanistan.

Still, the Biden administration argues that Al Qaeda does not pose a threat to the US at this time.

Currently, there are only about 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak of more than 100,000 reached in 2011. Roughly 2,400 US servicemen have died in the course of the Afghan conflict and many thousands more have been injured.

"THERE IS NO MILITARY SOLUTION"

It is unclear how Biden's move would affect upcoming talks in Istanbul from April 24 to May 4, aimed at pushing forward an Afghan peace process and outlining a possible political settlement on the Central Asian nation. The 10-day summit will include the United Nations and Qatar as participants.

US troops have long provided the United States with influence in peace efforts. But senior administration official Biden said the United States would no longer stick to that strategy.

"There is no military solution to the problems plaguing Afghanistan , and we will focus our efforts on supporting the ongoing peace process," the official said.

The presence of US forces eased concerns in Afghanistan that the United States could turn its back on the Kabul government. "We will have to survive the impact and it should not be seen as a victory or takeover by the Taliban," said a senior Afghan government source, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Until then, we hope there is clarity," the source added.

Then-President George W. Bush sent US forces to Afghanistan to topple its Taliban leaders just weeks after the 9/11 attacks. US forces tracked down and killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011 during the presidency of Bush's successor Barack Obama.

With a 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq ordered by Bush, the US military began a year-long period in which it fought two major wars simultaneously, expanding its capabilities. US troops left Iraq in 2011, under President Obama, although some were later deployed under Donald Trump in response to the threat posed by Islamic State militants.