In President Joe Biden’s first formal statements on the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan since announcing the drawdown in April, the president defended the decision (CNN) as long overdue and said American resources were better focused elsewhere. He also said the withdrawal will be completed by August 31, up from a previous deadline of September 11. It is still unclear what kind of U.S. support could remain for Afghan forces after that date.
Biden suggested that the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan fulfilled its antiterrorism function (NYT) years ago. Evacuations are underway for Afghans who assisted the mission, he said. Amid the U.S. withdrawal, Taliban forces have escalated their offensives against the Afghan military, including by taking over (TOLONews) a key border crossing with Iran this week. Yesterday, a Taliban delegation met with representatives of the Russian government (AP) to affirm that the group’s advances would not threaten Russia or its Central Asian allies.
