German soldiers, joining NATO missions in Afghanistan, patrol in the Mazar-i-Sharif area, April 26, 2016. Photo: AFP / VNA

According to the VNA correspondent in Berlin, in his April 16 statement, German Defense Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized: “If everything goes according to plan, all German forces will leave Afghanistan by mid-August. “. This means German troops will leave Afghanistan by 9/11.

According to Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer, with the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the deployment of German troops in the country ended “after nearly 20 years for the most lost and heavy duty in German military history”. She emphasized that the primary goal is to bring all soldiers, civilian personnel and international teammates back to their homeland healthy and safe. In addition to the US forces, there are about 7,000 foreign soldiers deployed in Afghanistan, including about 1,300 German soldiers.

Earlier on April 14, the NATO Council decided to join the US to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan from May 1. According to US President Joe Biden, the withdrawal lasted until September 11, the 20-year period of terrorist attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the ministry. Defense of the US in Washington, the capital, the reason for the US to launch the war later in Afghanistan.

At a previous conversation between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Biden, the two sides agreed to cooperate regarding NATO’s military presence in Afghanistan. According to German government spokesman Steffen Seibert, the German and American leaders emphasized the importance of close coordination and cooperation as well as continued political commitment to the waning Southeast Asian nation. demolition after decades of war.

Despite the planned withdrawal, the United Nations (UN) still wants to continue its political and humanitarian mission in Afghanistan. United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric stressed: “We will study the situation further, but our work in Afghanistan will continue. It is clear that the withdrawal of NATO and the US forces will have an overall impact on the country, he said. According to him, the UN has a long presence in Afghanistan, working in the field of humanitarian development. The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) consists of about 1,200 personnel, most of whom are Afghan citizens, and does not include a peacekeeping force.

US President Joe Biden has followed this policy with the announcement that Washington will begin on time the final phase of the withdrawal process and will be completed by 9/11/2021, 20 years after the terrorist attack. horrifying in America, sparking war is arguably the longest in American history.

US soldiers are deployed in Dwyer, Helmand province, Afghanistan. Photo: AFP / VNA

The official announcement by US President Joe Biden on the route to withdraw troops from Afghanistan can be seen as one of the indicators of Wahisngton’s strong determination to reduce its military presence in Afghanistan. The US has also agreed with allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on this issue. The foreign ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense 30 NATO member countries agreed to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan according to the roadmap announced by the US, and the foreign ministers of the United States, UK, France and Germany met in Brussels (Belgium). on the issue of Afghanistan after the US announcement, showing that US allies in Europe support and are willing to cooperate in the plan to withdraw troops from the South Asian nation.

Analysts say that the US’s implementation of the withdrawal plan under the agreement with the Taliban could have many positive effects. On the one hand, the withdrawal of US troops will motivate the Taliban to be more serious in fulfilling its commitments. So far, the Taliban show no signs of ending violence in Afghanistan, and in March rejected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s proposal to hold elections this year and warned of further action. against foreign troops if foreign forces do not withdraw from the country by the 1/5 deadline. This shows that as long as the US military is still present in Afghanistan, the peace process will have little chance of accelerating. The withdrawal of US troops is expected to break the deadlock and force the Taliban to fulfill its commitments.

Former US military officials also argue that postponing the withdrawal risks the Taliban continuing to carry out attacks on US and coalition forces, possibly escalating violence and conflict in Afghanistan. At that time, the US will be more and more “bogged down” in this war.

In addition, for the US, the decision to withdraw will basically bring many benefits, both economically, politically and diplomatically. Economically, the US will save a significant amount of budget to protect security in Afghanistan. The US currently spends about $ 4 billion a year to maintain the Afghan National Security Force against the remnants of al-Qaeda remnants in the country. Preliminaryly, the US has spent $ 1 trillion on Afghanistan since its first military involvement in the country following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America.

Politically, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan will show the American people that Mr. Biden has upheld his pledge during the 2020 campaign. The war in Afghanistan has left more than 2,400 US servicemen dead, more 20,700 people were injured and cost the country a huge budget estimated at $ 2 trillion, but these losses have not yet led Afghanistan to the path of political stability. Therefore, the withdrawal will minimize the losses to the US military in Afghanistan.

Experts say that if he acts with a foresight, President Biden could use the end of the war in Afghanistan as an opportunity to begin the process of “restructuring” the way the two main parties in the US next. compete with each other on national security and defense issues. It would be harder for Republicans to oppose Mr. Biden’s withdrawal strategy if it is seen as something that bears the mark of former President Trump – who remains the most powerful figure in the Republican party.

In terms of security, the Biden administration’s move will contribute to enhancing the role of the Afghan government in maintaining security in the country. In fact, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has noted that the country’s armed forces are “fully capable” of defending Afghanistan.

However, peace in Afghanistan will face significant challenges. Even within the Biden administration, many opinions are still concerned about security risks for Afghanistan if the US reduces its military presence there. In particular, Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns noted that America’s ability to gather intelligence and act against threats will decline as US troops leave Afghanistan. Burns’ assessment is based on the long-standing presence of elements from terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda or self-proclaimed “Islamic State” (IS) in Afghanistan.

The CIA Director’s warning reflects the concern of some experts that the US withdrawal of all its troops from Afghanistan risks creating a void allowing terrorist organizations, especially al-Qaeda, to come back again. Since the US launched its war on the Taliban 20 years ago, although it has weakened in many ways, it will still pose significant security challenges for Afghanistan.

The Taliban agreeing to sever ties with terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda, as well as its commitment to prevent al-Qaeda from operating in Afghanistan, is a prerequisite to a peace deal. with the United States in 2020. However, the fact that al-Qaeda has maintained a complicated relationship with the Taliban has raised doubts about whether the Taliban could completely end its relationship with this notorious terrorist organization. , as well as the real Taliban’s intentions of these commitments.

Over the past 20 years, the United States has invested significantly in counterterrorism and intelligence gathering capabilities in Afghanistan. However, US officials concede that once the military has withdrawn, gathering intelligence will be much more difficult. Stemming from that fact, an erroneous US miscalculation of when to withdraw would create an opportunity for al-Qaeda to rise again in Afghanistan, to re-establish bases, from which to launch terrorist attacks. Future.

After the US withdrawal, to continue assisting Afghanistan in maintaining security, the long-term solution for the US is to find a way that allows all political actors to act together with Afghanistan. The United Nations (UN) has also announced it will maintain its political and humanitarian mission in Afghanistan, even after the US and NATO withdraw their troops from the country.

In fact, the peace process in Afghanistan is now a priority promoted by the international community, as increased violence in this conflict-plunged country is killing many civilians and inflicting love. a serious humanitarian and security crisis. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA), as many as 8,820 civilians perished from conflict in Afghanistan in 2020. Afghanistan is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with more than 16.9 million people, more than a third of the population, are facing urgent food insecurity.

In that context, many optimistic opinions that the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan could open a narrow gap towards a new prospect of peace-building in this South Asian country in the near future. However, the opportunity to slip through the “narrow gap” to peace in Afghanistan is still very fragile because there are many factors that dominate, including the building of trust between the parties in Afghanistan as well as the problem. conflicts of interest of related countries in the region.

President George W. Bush sits in the White House after announcing that the US and Britain began bombing Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, marking the beginning of the longest war in American history. Photo: Reuters

Although at the time, most Americans supported President Bush’s decision to go to war, doubts remained as to how the war would play out and how long it could last.

Bush, then 55 years old, took office in less than nine months. On the evening of October 11, 2001, he tried to reassure the American people that the government was aware of the lessons from the past and that they were determined not to let the US bogged down in an irrational war in Asia.

“We have learned some very important lessons in Vietnam,” Mr. Bush affirmed. “This is another war that requires a different approach and a completely different spirit.”

While he did not guarantee how long the war would last, Bush made a sure promise that America would win.

“This battle will last until the al-Qaeda terrorist organization is brought to justice,” he announced. two years, but we will win this war. “

But from the very beginning, the US government did not seem to have determined the goal of achieving “victory”. On Wednesday, current US President Joe Biden announced that he would withdraw all military forces in Afghanistan by September 11.

US soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division carried an injured Afghan man toward the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Kandahar province on October 23, 2010. At that time, about 150,000 US and international troops. has been deployed to Afghanistan. Photo: AFP

This decision still does not answer the ever-standing question that his three predecessors had hoped or envisioned a outcome for the war that they always claimed America would win.

In the beginning, the goal of this war was to destroy al-Qaeda and make sure that the terrorist group could not use Afghanistan as a base to launch any other terrorist attack against the United States. In just 6 months, that goal was achieved. The al-Qaeda chiefs were either destroyed, captured or fled Afghanistan.

However, instead of declaring an end to the war, Bush at that time set out new “missions” for this war. In April 2002, he announced new political and military goals.

He announced that the United States will help its allies in Afghanistan build an increasingly modernized country with a stable democracy, a powerful military force, and good healthcare facilities. and a public education system for children.

“We understand that peace can only be true when the Afghan people have the potential to achieve their own wishes,” he said in a speech at the Virginia Military Academy.

Although setting out very noble and respectable goals, former President Bush did not set specific standards to achieve them and did not give any information about the US military. How long will you have to stay there. He replied generally, “We will stay until the mission is completed.”

Like former President Bush, the two successors, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, both put themselves in invisible bonds vowing to win in Afghanistan, raising expectations for a victory. The military side of this war.

General Dan McNeill, who served two terms as commander of the US military in Afghanistan during the Bush administration, said the end was always “murky, dark.”

Mr. McNeill then shared that: “Some people have thought of Jeffersonian democracy (in the thought of late President Thomas Jefferson), but that will not happen in Afghanistan”.

In a secret report sent to senior Pentagon officials in October 2003, former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also expressed skepticism: “Whether we are winning or losing in Global war on terror? “.

By 2006, as the Taliban rebelled and escalated their attacks, the suspicions became more and more common.

On August 29, 2006, former US ambassador Ronald Neumann in Afghanistan sent a warning to Washington, in which he affirmed: “We will not be able to win in Afghanistan”.

However, in public, the US government continued to declare the opposite.

“We are winning,” General Karl Eikenberry, former commander of US forces in Afghanistan, told ABC News just two weeks after Neumann issued the warning. When asked if the US would lose the war, Eikenberry bluntly replied: “Victory is not an option in the war in Afghanistan”.

Two years later, the US battlefield commanders in Afghanistan had to ask the Pentagon to send reinforcements because they were out of position as the Taliban had increased the number of troops from 7,000 to 11,000 fighters. American generals were very difficult to mobilize more troops, but still continuously declared a victory “invisible”.

In September 2008, US Army General Jeffrey Schloesser, former commander of US forces in eastern Afghanistan, after repeatedly asked by reporters about whether he thought that US troops were still winning. , commented: “I would say that we will not lose any war, at any cost. This is just a victory that takes more time, I guess. ”

By the time Mr. Obama took office in 2009, US military officials admitted they were facing a terrible uprising. Obama then announced an expansion strategy to send thousands more soldiers to Afghanistan and spend tens of billions of dollars to rebuild the Kabul government.

President Barack Obama talks with Defense Secretary Robert Gates (left), and General David Petraeus at the Oval Office on March 14, 2011. Photo: White House

“For terrorists against America, my consistent message is: America will defeat all hostile forces,” former President Obama announced in March 2009.

Yet again, no one in the Obama administration can tell what the outcome of that victory will be.

“How do we know when this is over? And how will it end? ”Democratic Sen. James Webb questioned Michèle Flournoy, former Deputy Secretary of Defense under President Obama and General David Petraeus at a congressional hearing on. April 2009.

Obama administration officials gradually became contradictory in subsequent steps. On the one hand, they are beginning to admit that a military victory is quite unlikely and the only way to end the conflict is for the warring parties in Afghanistan to reach a “political solution”.

On the other hand, when the US number reached 100,000, generals under the Obama administration continued their attacks on the Taliban instead of using diplomatic means.

In public, some Obama administration officials began to dodge when questioned about the war.

At a congressional testimony in June 2011, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates was asked whether the US is winning or losing in Afghanistan, replying: “I believe we are succeeding in the war. strategy of the President “.

A week later, at another hearing, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not directly comment, but only said: “I do not think it is a matter of winning or losing.”

Throughout his term, the Obama administration has planned to train and equip the Afghan security force of 352,000 soldiers and paramilitary police with the belief that these allied forces will overwhelm the Taliban. thanks to the support of the US.

Former President Obama once pledged to withdraw all US military forces from Afghanistan by the end of his second term. But he withdrew and ordered about 8,400 soldiers to stay, seeing that the Afghan security forces were incapable of defending against Taliban attacks.

By the time Donald Trump took office in 2017, things were pretty bleak. The Taliban have grown stronger in Obama’s eight years in power, adding about 60,000 combat troops. The Afghan army and police are suffering so much damage that the Kabul government has to keep the casualties a secret to avoid weakening morale.

The special forces in the Afghan National Army train at a base near Kabul on March 5, 2020. Afghan commandos often perform missions with the US military. Photo: Washington Post

Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis admitted to the US Senate Committee on Armed Services in June 2017: “Right now, we are not having the upper hand in Afghanistan.”

By August 2017, former President Donald Trump announced a new strategy for the war. In a speech at the Fort Myer base, he pledged to end the 16-year conflict in Afghanistan and vowed to help the US regain full victory.

“Our army will fight to win,” Trump announced. “From now on, victory will be clearly defined: attack our enemies, destroy ISIS, take down al-Qaeda, stop the Taliban from taking Afghanistan and stop mass terrorist attacks. “.

The war in Afghanistan under Trump is heating up with the number of US troops reaching 14,000. The Washington administration also ordered a series of drastic airstrikes, with the largest number of bombs and missiles since the outbreak of the war.

According to the strategy outlined by former President Donald Trump, the US military is simply trying to weaken the Taliban to gain political leverage for the peace talks. In February 2020, the Trump administration reached an agreement with the Taliban, paving the way for the gradual withdrawal of all US troops from the West Asian country.

On April 14, 2021, President Joe Biden officially announced plans to withdraw all US military forces from Afghanistan from May 1 and end on September 11.

This will be the end of the promises of a “vague” victory and end the war that lasted for two decades, spanning four presidents and is the longest war in American history.

Sapphire

According to the Washington Post

This decision is made in the context of the deadline to withdraw troops under the peace agreement that the Trump administration signed with the Taliban last year is about to take effect on May 1 here. A senior Biden administration official told the AP news agency that the September withdrawal deadline was appropriate and would not be affected by domestic security conditions.

Although President Biden’s decision to keep US troops in Afghanistan for four more months than originally planned, it will ultimately end a two-decade war that has left more than 2,200 soldiers. The United States was killed, 20,000 people injured and it cost about $ 1 trillion.

The purpose of President Joe Biden’s 9/11 selection is to highlight the reason why the United States is pouring troops into Afghanistan: to prevent al-Qaeda from turning the West Asian nation into a springboard to attack America. . Photo: AP

Military officials and commanders have once made harsh protests about the Trump administration’s May 1 deadline, saying that the US withdrawal should be based on field security conditions in Afghanistan, including: including Taliban attacks.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Mr. Biden had taken a position on “the next steps to take in Afghanistan, including the plan and timing of the withdrawal”.

Ms Psaki did not provide details, but said President Biden “was consistent in the view that there would not be a military solution in Afghanistan, and that the US military has been there for too long.”

Mr. Biden will also visit Arlington National Cemetery “to pay homage to the brave men and women who have died in Afghanistan.”

According to the Biden administration’s withdrawal plan, the only US force that will remain in Afghanistan is the security force protecting the diplomatic mission. There is no exact figure on the total number of US troops in Afghanistan, but some senior officials have tacitly admitted that the actual number is more than 2,500 people, which will include special operations forces with secret missions. secret or anti-terrorism, intelligence agents.

The timeline set by President Biden will allow the US to proceed with a safer and more orderly withdrawal, with the coordination of NATO allies.

However, it is not excluded that the Taliban will retaliate against US forces in Afghanistan. This could become the risk of escalating tensions again, as well as stemming from further political divisions in the US since the country sank into the “endless war” in Afghanistan.

Mixed reaction

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said: “The withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is a serious mistake. It is avoidance when faced with an enemy that has not been destroyed and the surrender of American leadership.

Republican Senator Jim Inhofe also rated it as a “reckless and dangerous decision.”

The majority of Democrats support this decision of President Biden. Sen. Jack Reed said the May 1 deadline for former President Donald Trump limited Mr. Biden’s options.

“The United States also has important interests in combating possible terrorist attacks in this region, but other hotspots should also be considered,” Reed said.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said that US military forces in Afghanistan should be returned home and the US must focus on rebuilding national security in the face of more pressing challenges.

Speaking to TIME magazine, Mr. David Sedney – a former Pentagon official under President Barack Obama, called this a “foolish strategy, a humanitarian disaster and worthy of moral condemnation.” virtue.

An Afghan official said the US administration’s decision to unconditionally withdraw troops was a shock to the Ashraf Ghani administration, as well as causing the Kabul government to lose its leveraged negotiating card with the Taliban. .

According to the Washington Post, the decision to unconditionally withdraw troops after a series of short but unsuccessful diplomatic efforts has raised concerns.

“This move will likely reverse the economic, political – social progress that the US has fought to protect during the past two decades in Afghanistan,” according to the editorial board of the Washington Post. “This is the tragedy for the 39 million people of the West Asian nation when the US chooses to give up the people here who once hoped to build a democracy, guaranteeing basic human rights”.

In addition, the withdrawal of all US military forces will likely allow al-Qaeda to restore its bases in Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed told the Associated Press that the force is waiting for official announcement from the US administration to give a suitable response. The Taliban had previously issued warnings of “consequences” if the US extended its withdrawal period on May 1.

In a February 2020 deal with the administration of former US President Donald Trump, the Taliban agreed to stop the attacks and hold peace talks with the Afghan government, in exchange for US commitment. on full withdrawal by May 2021.

Over the past year, US military commanders and defense officials have said that attacks on the country’s military have largely ended, but Taliban’s attacks on Afghan people have increased.

They argue that the Taliban have failed to meet the conditions of the peace deal by continuing to attack people and have not completely severed ties with al-Qaeda and other extremist groups.

When he took office earlier this year, Mr. Biden was well aware of the upcoming withdrawal deadline and consulted with defense security advisers and his allies.

In recent weeks, US President Joe Biden’s views have become clearer. “It will be very difficult to meet the May 1 deadline,” he said in March. “If the US withdraws its troops, it will be done safely and in an orderly manner.”

As expected, today (April 14), the administration of President Joe Biden will announce plans to withdraw all US forces stationed in Afghanistan in stages and end before September 11, full 20 years. after the horrible terror that started the war in Afghanistan.

Accordingly, thousands of US troops will continue to be stationed in Afghanistan after May 1, the deadline that former President Donald Trump’s administration has agreed with the Taliban. There are now 2,500 US troops stationed in Afghanistan, though the difference in fact could be as high as 1,000. The coalition in Afghanistan also has the presence of more than 7,000 troops, mainly NATO troops.

The administration of President Joe Biden is expected to announce plans to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan before 9/11/2021. (Source: EPA)

The above decision was made in the context of the unsuccessful peace negotiations. An unnamed US official revealed that the announcement of the plan was necessary because if the US did not make a clear roadmap of the May 1 deadline, Washington would have to fight the Taliban again.

For Joe Biden, this clearly does not serve the national interest of the US administration.

However, while withdrawing troops from Afghanistan will help the Americans end their presence in Afghanistan after two decades and help Mr. Biden score in the eyes of voters, it could also be a step backwards to Joe Biden’s foreign affairs.

first, this decision will go against what Mr. Joe Biden committed before becoming President. He once thought that Washington needed to maintain an anti-terrorist force in Afghanistan to ensure that Islamic extremist groups like Al-Qaeda would not be able to attack the United States.

However, his views changed after only two months in office. On March 17, interviewed by radio station ABC News, President Biden admitted having “difficulty” in withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan before May 1 under the agreement of his predecessor.

Now, the plan to withdraw troops is becoming clear, but the promise of anti-terrorist forces in the South Asian country has yet to be fulfilled.

Monday, the withdrawal of all US forces from Afghanistan leaves a great void for the Islamic extremist forces.

Speaking before the National Security Committee of the Afghan Parliament, National Intelligence Director Ahmad Zia Saraj said the number of Taliban attacks had increased by 24% since the peace agreement with the United States in February 2020. , with a total of 20,600 targeted attacks and bombings of all kinds.

According to him, this figure shows that the Taliban are not showing any change in Turkish ideology and the upcoming peace conference in Turkey may not yield any results.

Tuesday, the civil administration proved ineffective in ensuring security and political stability for development. On April 12, Afghanistan recorded 122 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number to 57,364 cases.

However, it should be remembered that the Covid-19 testing procedure in this country is limited and the actual number of cases may be much higher, while the health system is gradually overloading.

According to the World Bank, Afghanistan’s economy declines by 1.9% in 2020. Food prices increase rapidly because Covid-19, sometimes up to 17% in April 2020 alone, while tax revenue decreased by 7 , 6%.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s economic growth in 2021 is expected to reach 1%, but only possible if foreign aid and security are secured, two factors increasingly uncertain with Kabul’s governance capabilities. and after the withdrawal of US President Joe Biden’s administration.

Because of that, Washington may end its presence in the South Asian country after two decades and help Biden score points with voters, but the price will be political stability and security of Afghanistan.

On April 14, The Guardian quoted US President Joe Biden officials as saying that the withdrawal would begin before May 1-5. These officials stressed the US sending of troops into Afghanistan to “enforce justice against those who caused the September 11, 2001 attacks, to prevent terrorists from trying to make Afghanistan a safe haven.” and that goal “was achieved a few years ago”. “We evaluate the current Afghanistan threat to the United States as manageable without the need for Washington to maintain a military presence or maintain war with the Taliban here,” one American officials stressed. On the same day, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will join the United States with the withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan next September, because “we always say they I will come together and leave together ”.

US soldiers in Afghanistan Photo: Reuters.

According to the AP, the above decision also means that the US will not meet the deadline for the withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan on May 1-5 under the peace agreement that the former administration of President Donald Trump had. signed with the Taliban last February. The Taliban have warned that they will resume hostile actions against foreign forces in Afghanistan if Washington does not withdraw as agreed.

In fact, although Mr. Biden once committed to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan when running for the presidency, the White House boss himself admitted that withdrawing by a deadline of May 1-5 was “very difficult”. A US official confirmed, on September 11, 2021, would be “the absolute deadline” and would not be affected by the security situation in Afghanistan, because “conditional withdrawal of troops means staying in Afghanistan forever.” far away ”. AP said that “absolute deadline” shows the determination of the US administration to end the longest war in American history. The costly and costly war in Afghanistan has left more than 2,200 US soldiers dead, 20,000 injured and costing more than $ 1 trillion.

US intelligence agencies have warned the Biden administration about the danger that the Taliban could control much of Afghanistan within the next two to three years, if Washington withdraws all troops from the southwest Asian country. Along with that, this will facilitate the rise of al-Qaeda terrorist network in Afghanistan. According to The Guardian, the Biden administration’s plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan immediately met with opposition from many MPs from both Democrats and Republicans. Sen. Mitch McConnell of the Republican Party said that foreign terrorists will not leave America “just because our politicians are tired of fighting them.” Mr. McConnell asked President Biden to explain to the American people “why giving up allies and withdrawing in the face of the Taliban makes America safer”. Meanwhile, according to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of the Democratic Party, the withdrawal “undermines our commitment to the Afghan people, especially Afghan women”. “I urge the Biden administration to do its best from now to September to protect progress has been made, as well as to assist our partners in forming a transitional government,” said Thuong. MP Shaheen wrote on the social networking site Twitter.

Since Washington signed a peace deal with the Taliban, the number of US troops stationed in Afghanistan has dropped from 12,000 to 2,500, according to the Pentagon. However, The New York Times quoted US officials as confirming the number of US troops currently stationed in Afghanistan was 3,500.