President Biden speaking about the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan last month at the White House.Credit...Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times
New York Times: Biden is not changing the U.S. withdrawal plan, an official says.
WASHINGTON — Even with three northern Afghan regional hubs falling to the Taliban in a single day on Sunday, including the vital provincial capital of Kunduz, President Biden and his advisers were not changing plans to complete the U.S. military withdrawal from the country by month’s end, according to a senior administration official.
Mr. Biden was aware of the situation in Kunduz but was not changing course, the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the details, said Sunday.
Over the course of the past week, Taliban fighters have swiftly moved to retake cities around Afghanistan, assassinating government officials and killing civilians in the process.
But administration officials have publicly continued to hold out hope that Afghan forces have the resources and ability to fight back, while at the same time negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban that seems more unlikely by the hour.
When asked about the Taliban’s advances on Friday, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, told reporters that Mr. Biden had long been prepared to make “difficult choices” as part of his commitment to disengaging from Afghanistan.
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WNU Editor: Aside from ordering US airstrikes to slow down the Afghan offensive, it is obvious to me that President Biden's administration has written off Afghanistan.
