Biden to bring American troops home from Afghanistan

Friends and family welcomed members of the U.S. Army’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, after a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan and Kosovo, at Fort Drum, New York, in July 2019. (U.S. Army/Staff Sergeant Paige Behringer)

The United States will begin withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan by May 1, President Biden said April 14.

After consultation with U.S. military leaders, partners, allies and the Afghan government, the president concluded it was time to end America’s longest war.

“I believed that our presence in Afghanistan should be focused on the reason we went in the first place: to ensure Afghanistan would not be used as a base from which to attack our homeland again,” Biden said during the announcement. “We did that. We accomplished that objective.”

The United States plans to complete its withdrawal — roughly 2,500 troops — by September 11 of this year.

It is time to end America’s longest war.

It is time for American troops to come home from Afghanistan.

— President Biden (@POTUS) April 14, 2021

When the war in Afghanistan began, NATO allies joined U.S. forces. Germany, for instance, has more troops in Afghanistan than the United States. Biden promised to work closely and deliberately to withdraw all troops as safely as possible over the next four months.

Biden emphasized that the United States will not leave without helping the Afghan government counter any current terrorist threats in the region, both during and after the withdrawal.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. and its allies have trained and equipped a standing force of over 300,000 Afghan personnel. The United States will support peace talks between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, facilitated by the United Nations.

The U.S. will also continue to support the rights of Afghan women and girls by maintaining significant humanitarian and development assistance.

“While we will not stay involved in Afghanistan militarily, our diplomatic and humanitarian work will continue,” Biden said. “We’ll continue to support the government of Afghanistan.”

by ShareAmerica

Published on 2021-04-16