Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said that “we are drifting into one of the most dangerous periods in human history."
The Biden administration will begin pulling out its remaining 2,500 troops on May 1 and complete the pullout at the latest by Sept. 11 — the 20th anniversary of the al-Qaida terror attack on the U.S.
Biden has inched so close to the deadline that his indecision amounts almost to a decision to put off, at least for a number of months, a pullout of the remaining 2,500 troops.
If the U.S. is serious about pushing a major peace plan with the Afghans, then it had better stay the course and see them all the way through to a comprehensive peace, says the author of this commentary.
Gen. Richard Clarke echoed the sentiments of other military leaders, saying it’s clear that the Taliban has not upheld its commitment to reduce violence in Afghanistan.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived Sunday in Kabul on his first trip to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, amid swirling questions about how long American troops will remain in the country.
The one-day gathering was the first of three planned international conferences ahead of a May 1 deadline for the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country.