Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan

Secretary of State Antony Blinken beat back criticism of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan on Sept. 13 at a contentious congressional hearing where at least two Republicans called on him to resign.

President Joe Biden in public address defended his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan - a move which opened the way for Taliban militants to return to power.

Staying longer was not an option, Biden said in an address to the nation, a day after the end of a 20-year US presence in Afghanistan.

According to the AP, the small Arab state is being asked to help shape what lies ahead for Afghanistan because of its ties with both Washington and the Taliban.

Iraqi war veteran and congressman of the Democrats from Massachusetts, Seth Moulton, and the Republican from Michigan, also a military veteran Peter Meijer, landed on a charter flight on Tuesday and spent several hours at the airport in Kabul, AP reports.

Western nations rushed to complete the evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan on Aug. 25 as the Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of foreign troops drew closer with no sign that the country's new Taliban rulers might allow an extension.

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U.S. President Joe Biden said on Aug. 24 the United States is on pace to finish evacuations from Afghanistan by Aug. 31, but left open the chance of the deadline being extended, saying reaching that goal is dependent on continued cooperation from the country's new Taliban rulers.   

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On August 24, the United States must complete its evacuation of people from Afghanistan by August 31. As per the Taliban spokesperson, there will be no extension for US evacuation in Afghanistan. However, they have to evacuate American troops set by the Biden Administration. Moreover, he said the country is running towards success but chaos at the airport causing disaster. 

However, the U.S. President has not yet decided whether the withdrawal of the international forces will be prolonged due to the evacuation from the Kabul airport.
Biden is expected to make that decision in the next 24 hours. In Great Britain, however, they doubt that the evacuation will be completed by the set deadline.

US Central Intelligence Agency chief William Burns has held a secret meeting with Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, the Washington Post and Associated Press reported.

Emergency talks by the G7 leadership will be held in a virtual format on August 24 initiated by the UK, who is chairing the club. The summit will focus on Afghanistan where developments are not going according to the way London and Washington anticipated. So far, the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) has not formed a coalition government.