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Biden Announces Full U.S. Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan by Sept. 11

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President Joe Biden said the war in Afghanistan was never meant to be multi-generational, as he officially announced the drawdown of all 2,500 U.S. troops in that country beginning May 1 and concluding by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the war.

The president lay the path for the way forward in Afghanistan today in an address to the nation and noted that only the citizens of Afghanistan have the right and responsibility to lead their country.

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"After consulting closely with our allies and partners, with our military leaders and intelligence personnel, with our diplomats and our development experts, with the Congress and the vice president, as well as with [Afghan President Ashraf Ghani] and many others around the world, I concluded that it's time to end America's longest war. It's time for American troops to come home," the president said.

The United States met its objective 10 years ago with the assassination of Taliban leader Osama bin Laden, he said, adding since then, "Our reasons for staying have become increasingly unclear." 

A soldier stands on the rear ramp of a helicopter.
Sunset View
Army loadmaster stands on the rear ramp of a CH-47F Chinook and watches the sunset as the helicopter flies over Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 8, 2017.
Credit: Julie A. Kelemen, DOD
VIRIN: 170908-D-QT896-079

Over the past 20 years, "the [terrorist] threat has become more dispersed, metastasizing around the globe: al-Shabab in Somalia, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates in multiple countries in Africa and Asia," he said of the terrorism threat. 

"With the terror threat now in many places, keeping thousands of troops grounded and concentrated in just one country and across the billions [of dollars spent] each year makes little sense to me and to our leaders," Biden said. "We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan — hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal and expecting a different result."

As the fourth U.S. president with the Afghanistan war on his watch, Biden said he would not pass the longest war in American history on to another president. He noted that he inherited the drawdown deadline of this year and he intends to keep the U.S. agreement with the Taliban, which was formulated during the former administration. 

Soldiers patrol in Afghanistan.
Foot Patrol
Raider Brigade Soldiers with 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division conduct a foot patrol in Afghanistan, Dec. 22, 2018, in support of Operation Resolute Support and Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
Credit: Army
VIRIN: 181222-A-ST516-412M

But the United States will withdraw its troops in a safe, deliberate and responsible manner and in full coordination with its partners and allies in Afghanistan, the president said. Diplomacy and counter-terrorism mechanisms will be reorganized to hold the Taliban accountable, Biden said.

Meeting critics of the drawdown head-on, the commander in chief said the withdrawal will not hurt the country's reputation. The United States will be more formidable if it focuses on future challenges, and not those in the past, he said. "Our diplomacy does not hinge on having boots in harm's way — U.S. boots on the ground. We have to change that thinking. American troops shouldn't be used as a bargaining chip between warring parties in other countries. You know, that's nothing more than a recipe for keeping American troops in Afghanistan indefinitely."

A fighter plane releases flares over Afghanistan.
Flare Flight
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet releases flares over Afghanistan, Jan. 23, 2020. The F/A-18E is the Navy's primary strike and air superiority aircraft providing force projection, interdiction, and close and deep air support.
Credit: Staff Sgt. Matthew Lotz, Air Force
VIRIN: 200123-F-AI558-1477M

The challenges the United States must focus on are in front of us, Biden said. "We have to track and disrupt terrorist networks and operations that spread far beyond Afghanistan since 9/11. We have to shore up American competitiveness to meet the stiff competition we're facing. From an increasingly assertive China, we have to strengthen our alliances and work with like-minded partners to ensure that the rules of international norms that govern cyber threats, and emerging technologies that will shape our future are grounded in our democratic values, not those of the autocrats," he said. "We have to defeat this pandemic and strengthen the global health system to prepare for the next one, because there will be another pandemic. [We'll] be much more formidable to threat adversaries and competitors over the long term, if we fight the battles for the next 20 years, not the last one."

The president said he is immensely grateful for the bravery and backbone U.S. service members have shown through nearly two decades of combat deployments. "We, as a nation, are forever indebted to them, and to their families. … And we owe them. They've never backed down from a single mission that we've asked of them. They paid a tremendous price on our behalf. And they have the thanks of a grateful nation," Biden said.

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