Daily US Times: US President Joe Biden has defended his decision to withdraw military forces from Afghanistan, saying that US operations will end on 31 August.
Mr Biden is the fourth US president to oversee the war. He also defended the speed of the US military forces withdrawal, saying it saved lives.
The US president’s speech comes as the Taliban militant group continues to seize territory around the country.
US troops have fought in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years, following the terror attacks of 11 September 2001.
Earlier this year, president Biden set a 11 September 2021 goal of withdrawing all US troops from Afghanistan.
Former President Donald Trump had agreed with the Taliban to pull out US forces by May 2021, but that deadline was pushed back by president Biden after he took office in January.
In a White House statement, Mr Biden said, “Just one more year of fighting in Afghanistan is not a solution, but a recipe for fighting there indefinitely.”
He also denied that a Taliban takeover is in Afghanistan “inevitable,” saying that the Taliban force of approximately 75,000 fighters is no match for the 300,000 Afghan security forces.
Even after the total military pull out is complete, the United States is expected to keep 650 to 1,000 troops in the country to guard the US embassy, Kabul airport, and other key government installations.
Recent polls have shown broad support from US citizens for leaving Afghanistan, with Republican voters more sceptical of the decision to withdraw.
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