White House: Biden to withdraw 2.5K U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11
FILE – In this Jan. 31, 2020, file photo Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, center, top U.S. commander for the Middle East, makes an unannounced visit in Kabul, Afghanistan. Without coming right out and saying it, President Joe Biden seems ready to let lapse a May 1 deadline for completing a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Orderly withdrawals take time, and Biden is running out of it. (AP Photos/Lolita Baldor, File)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 11:31 AM PT – Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Joe Biden has planned to withdraw all remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11. Defense officials told news outlets Tuesday that he plans to remove the last 2,500 military personnel from the region.
The administration will, however, miss President Trump’s deadline to withdraw troops by May 1, which is the 10-year anniversary of the death of Osama Bin Laden. The new withdrawal date would come on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which preceded America’s longest running war.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are expected to brief U.S. NATO allies on the withdrawal during their visit to Brussels this week.
Glad to be heading back to Brussels. The United States is committed to rebuilding U.S. alliances, particularly with our @NATO Allies. We remain steadfast in our support for NATO as the essential forum for Transatlantic security. #USNATO pic.twitter.com/WSVjC7tSUk
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 13, 2021
“My administration strongly supports the diplomatic process that’s underway and to bring an end to this war that is closing out 20 years,” Biden stated. “We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again provides a base for terrorist attacks against the United States and our partners and our interest.”
Biden is expected to make a formal announcement on the troop withdrawal on Wednesday.