Biden: US troops start Afghan withdrawal May 1

President Joe Biden announces his plans to withdraw remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan on Wednesday, declaring that the Sept. 11 attacks “cannot explain” why American forces should still be there 20 years after the deadliest terror assault on the United States.

His plan is to pull out all the American forces - numbering 2,500 now - by this Sept. 11. That is the anniversary of the attacks, which were coordinated from Afghanistan.

"The U.S. cannot continue to pour resources into an intractable war and expect different results," Biden says.

The decision marks perhaps the most significant foreign policy decision for Biden in the early going of his presidency.

“We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result,” Biden says.

“I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth.”

The drawdown would begin rather than conclude by May 1, which has been the deadline for full withdrawal under a peace agreement the Trump administration reached with the Taliban last year.

Biden is emphasizing that his administration will continue to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and assist international efforts to train the Afghan military.

Withdrawing all U.S. troops comes with clear risks. It could boost the Taliban's effort to claw back power and undo gains toward democracy and women’s rights made over the past two decades. It also opens Biden to criticism, mostly Republicans and some Democrats, even though former President Donald Trump had also wanted a full withdrawal.

After his speech, Biden intends to visit Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery to honor those who died in recent American conflicts.