The withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan will not happen anytime soon, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing the possibility of American troops being there beyond September while expressing his concerns about the government in Kabul facing up to domestic issues
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2021) The withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan will not happen anytime soon, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing the possibility of American troops being there beyond September while expressing his concerns about the government in Kabul facing up to domestic issues.
"It's not going to be done in the next few days," Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about the planned US exit from Afghanistan. "No, we're on track, exactly as to where we expect it to be, but ... we wouldn't be able to do it all [by] September. There'll still be some forces left."
Pressed for details, Biden said the White House wanted to ensure there was enough "running room" to complete the US withdrawal in the next two months as planned.
Biden also said that the United States has "worked out an over-the-horizon capacity" to assist the Afghan government if air support is needed to keep Kabul out of the hands of the Taliban.
"The Afghans are going to have to be able to do it themselves with the air force they have, which we're helping them maintain," he said. "I think they have the capacity to be able to sustain the government but they're going to have to be down the road (for) more negotiations, I suspect. But I am concerned that they deal with the internal issues that they have, to be able to generate the kind of support they need nationwide to maintain the government."
Biden's comments came after the top US general in Afghanistan warned earlier this week that the country was at serious risk of sliding into a civil war, citing the rapid loss of district centers each day to Taliban fighters.
The US president emphasized that there was no retreat in the plan for a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan at some point, adding the United States has been engaged in the war there for 20 years.
