US President, Joe Biden on Wednesday, April 14, formally announced his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that led the US into the country to wage its longest war.
Biden delivered the historic statement from precisely the same spot in the White House Treaty Room that President George W. Bush announced the start of the war on October 7, 2001.
Biden said after the statement he’ll visit the section of Arlington National Cemetery where many of America’s war dead from Afghanistan are buried.
Biden said “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. I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats,” he added. “I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth. It is time to end America’s longest war. It is time for American troops to come home”
Biden said the withdrawal will begin on May 1, in line with an agreement President Donald Trump’s administration made with the Taliban. He said the complete withdrawal will be done by September 11.
Some US troops will remain to protect American diplomats, though officials declined to provide a precise number.