US Defense Secretary meets Afghan president in Kabul as withdrawal deadline nears

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani alongside Ambassador Wilson and General Milleron on Sunday as he made a trip to Kabul, the US Department of Defence said in a release. His visit comes just weeks ahead as the US inches closer to the deadline for the complete withdrawal of troops from the region by May 1. 

US troops have been stationed in Afghanistan to conduct Special Operations missions with Afghan forces against terrorist outfits such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The former President Donald Trump, however, signed an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 that agreed pulling out all the soldiers from the region. However, as the former Trump administration was leaving office, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby had said that the Taliban had failed “to meet its commitments” keeping the decision of complete troop withdrawal in a limbo. No final decision has been reached by the Biden administration, and there have been doubts about the implementation of a total withdrawal as also, a UN report claimed that the Taliban has not disavowed al-Qaeda. 

While it remains unclear if Biden will maintain an indefinite US military presence in Afghanistan with withdrawal line close, US Defense Sec. Austin told a presser that the two countries are in the “process of reviewing conditions”, adding that the level of violence in Afghanistan remains high.

Afghanistan worried about 'safety' 

When asked by the reporter if the US has set a withdrawal date or will adhere to the one in Trump’s agreement, Austin said that he met the Afghani counterpart to “understand what the concerns were”. He added, that in terms of an end date or setting a specific date for withdrawal, US President Joe Biden will decide how he wants to “approach this” going forward.  Although, Austin said that the officials in Afghanistan have been increasingly worried about their safety and have been reluctant about the US troops' departure. 

As US Defence Secretary in Afghanistan held talks with President Ghani, the two sides agreed to promote peace negotiations and ensure that the violence subsides in the region, laying the groundwork for diplomatic efforts. When asked how the Biden administration plans to proceed to address the warning made by the Taliban about the deadline approaching, Austin said that he had held a meeting with Afghan General Miller, and the two sides discussed resources to accomplish the mission of defending troops. 

“General Miller is more than equipped in terms of personal attributes and resources that he has on-hand to accomplish the task of protecting our troops,” Austin said. He added, if the withdrawal does take place on May 1 as the deadline has been decided on, the US will ensure a “responsible transition” keeping the Afghan security in mind. 

(Image Credit: Twitter/@secdef)