Biden confirms the plan to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan | Scientist

It is time to end the longest war in the United States. “It is time to bring our troops home,” Biden said in a speech. We went to Afghanistan because of a terrible attack 20 years ago. This cannot explain why we will stay there in 2021. ”

This came in the treaty room, the same room in the White House, where former President George W. Bush announced the start of the war against Afghanistan after the attacks carried out by Al Qaeda.

Biden revealed that he had spoken to Bush about the departure of US soldiers who Coordination will be made with the allies of the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)Who also keep soldiers in Afghanistan.

Biden said, “We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create the ideal conditions for our departure, in the hope of reaching a different outcome.” I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth person [presidente]. ”

Before leaving power, former President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan on May 1, the date Biden now intends to start leaving the country.

This announcement came while Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken was in Brussels to discuss with NATO allies about ending the US presence in Afghanistan. About 3,500 US troops remain in the country and work with 6,500 members of the military coalition.

In his speech, Biden said that Afghanistan was no longer a platform for attacks against the United States and argued that the current terrorist threat is widespread and not concentrated in one country. The United States will continue its support for Afghanistan, according to the Democrat, and will respond if the Taliban attempts to attack the US military during the exit process.

After the announcement, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said, in a statement, that the member states of the alliance agreed to start the military withdrawal from Afghanistan on the first of May. “We plan to withdraw all American forces and complete the mission within a few months,” he said.

After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States invoked for the first time Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which led to the establishment of NATO after World War II, to summon the Allies to assist in the struggle against Afghanistan.

The military alliance said in the memorandum that “NATO will continue to support Afghanistan, its people and institutions in strengthening security and defending the gains of the past twenty years.” The withdrawal of our forces does not mean the end of our relationship with Afghanistan. Instead, it will be the beginning of a new chapter. ”

In a message posted on Twitter, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he had spoken to Biden about the announcement made on Wednesday. “We respect the decision of the United States and will work with our American allies to ensure a smooth transition,” he wrote.