Biden overruled top cabinet officials on US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan: New book

In the latest blow for US President Joe Biden, a new book that will be published next week has claimed that he overruled US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s advice of slowing down American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Since Biden ramped up the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban to reconquered the country after 20 years, he has repeatedly claimed that all his decisions were taken after the advice of his cabinet. However, in ‘Peril’ authored by Washington Post’s Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, have claimed otherwise.

According to the copy of ‘Peril’ obtained by CNN, Biden was ‘hellbent’ not to let the military stop him from withdrawing from Afghanistan. The book also stated how former US President Donald Trump’s influence reflects in Biden’s presidency. The US President’s top advisers were resistant to the troop withdrawal but Biden, according to the book, was resolute on getting them out. He even believed that the military had ‘manipulated’ the 44th US President Barack Obama, under whom, Biden served as the US vice president and watched officials discuss the decades-old issue of war in Afghanistan.

According to the book, Biden told others back in 2009, “The military doesn't f*** around with me,” reportedly implying they had with Obama. The US media outlet obtained ‘Peril’ copy ahead of its release on September 21 in which Woodward and Costa wrote that Blinken and Austin recommended a slower withdrawal. Moreover, after a March meeting of NATO ministers, the US Secretary of State changed his recommendation regarding removing all US troops. 

"Previously, he had been foursquare with Biden for a full withdrawal," the authors write. "His new recommendation was to extend the mission with US troops for a while to see if it could yield a political settlement. Buy time for negotiations."

Biden did not want to allow ‘mission creep’

While both Blinken and Austin recommended alternate methods for US troop withdrawal, Biden remained unconvinced and assertive not to allow “mission creep” to justify keeping American troops in Afghanistan. As per the book quoted by CNN, Blinken told Biden on a call from Brussels he was hearing from other NATO ministers “in quadraphonic sound” that the US should leverage its departure to acquire definite steps towards a political statement. Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary also revealed another proposal, claimed the authors. Austin recommended a “gated” withdrawal” in at least three or four stages which would provide leverage for diplomatic negotiations. 

(Image: AP)