April 19 2021 U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan is contrary to the advice of the top U.S. military general, U.S. media reported, citing sources. Former U.S. President Donald Trump also spoke out against Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops by September 11, saying the U.S. should leave Afghanistan earlier and urging Biden to stick to the withdrawal date he set when he became president “as much as possible.”
The Wall Street Journal understands that Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, Mark Miley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Austin Scott Miller, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, have all proposed keeping 2,500 troops in Afghanistan while working diplomatically to reach a peace agreement.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also opposed a full withdrawal, warning the president that withdrawing all U.S. troops would “destabilize” Afghanistan, the sources said.
In addition, Newsweek quoted a statement from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who criticized current President Joe Biden for completing plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by September 11.
“I don’t like Biden’s use of September 11 as the date to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan,” Trump said. First, he said, “the U.S. can and should leave Afghanistan earlier” because the U.S. military “stayed there too long.”
Second, Mr. Trump said, “September 11th is a date reminiscent of the most tragic events and periods in our country.” He stressed the need to “remember and remember this date as a sign of respect for everyone we lost that day”. Trump urged Biden to stick to the date he set when he became president of the United States “as much as possible.”
In 2020, the then Trump administration and the Taliban, the Afghan militant group, signed the first peace deal in Qatar during more than 18 years of war, which allowed foreign troops to withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months and begin cross-Afghan dialogue after an agreement to exchange captives. Under the agreement, the United States should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021.
On the other hand, Jack Sullivan, the president’s assistant for national security, told CNN that after September 11, U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be left with only about the guards guarding the embassy.
“We will not leave any other soldiers in Afghanistan except those guarding the embassy,” he said. He added that Washington “will work to maintain the deployment of diplomatic missions with its own security.”
On April 14, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan will begin on May 1 and that U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be withdrawn by September 11 this year, the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. In response, the United States may increase its presence in Afghanistan to ensure a safe withdrawal.
