It now appears likely that the deadline to withdraw America’s remaining troops from Afghanistan will not be met.
Breitbart reports that recent comments made by the Biden administration point to this likelihood.
Background
Before leaving office, former President Donald Trump made an effort to reduce America’s troop presence in the Middle East. It was part of Trump’s goal to end the endless wars in the Middle East and to return U.S. troops back home.
One of the steps that Trump took was to withdraw all but 2,5oo troops from Afghanistan, the country that America has been in a war with since 2001, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
What Trump also did before leaving office was enter into an agreement with the Taliban to have America’s remaining 2,500 troops withdrawn from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. This is the deadline that is being referred to here.
It “will be tough”
With less than a month to go until the May 1st deadline, reporters have been asking the Biden administration whether this deadline will be met. And, the Biden administration’s response has been ambiguous at best.
“As the president has said before, it will be tough to meet the May 1st deadline for full withdrawal for logistical reasons,” Psaki said during a recent press conference.
She continued: “He’s continuing to consult internally with his national security team and advisers and, of course, also with our partners and allies. And, you know, he has not — he’s been working on these issues, foreign policy issues, national security issues for several decades now, and, of course, wants to take the time to make the right decision.”
As usual, Psaki didn’t really answer whether the deadline will be met, and, she also didn’t answer when the troops would be withdrawn should the deadline not be met.
Biden “can’t picture” U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2022
Last month, Biden said that, “for tactical reasons, it’s going to be hard to get those troops out.” At the time, Biden added that he “can’t picture” U.S. troops still being in Afghanistan in 2022, and he also insisted that “if we leave, we’re going to do so in a safe and orderly way.”
From such statements as Biden’s and Psaki’s, it seems pretty clear that the Biden administration probably will not meet the May 1st deadline.
It does seem that Biden wants to bring the troops home, but Biden has been trying to do that since he was vice president under Barack Obama. When Obama left office in 2016, 8,600 U.S. troops were still in Afghanistan.
The post Psaki says it “will be tough” to meet Trump’s May 1st troop withdrawal deadline first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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