Biden to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by 9/11

Author: David Martin and Eleanor Watson / CBS
Published:
President Joe Biden. Credit: CBS

President Biden has decided to withdraw military forces from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News.

This would keep several thousand troops in the country past the May 1 deadline negotiated by the Trump administration last year. The agreement reached with the Taliban called for the group to reduce violence and separate itself from terror groups, but U.S. and NATO military leaders have said the violence is still too high to justify a full withdrawal.

In an interview with ABC News in March, Mr. Biden said it would be “tough” to comply with the deadline. There are currently about 3,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The Washington Post first reported the president’s plans.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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