President Biden firm on August 31st withdrawal from Afghanistan

James Oke, Staff Writer|August 26, 2021

U.S troops are on their way to defend Kabul airport until the U.S and its allies can safely evacuate refugees, citizens, and personnel.

The democratic government, which came into power in 2001 following the U.S invasion, collapsed just one month shy of the 20-year-anniversary of September 11th. The collapse of the U.S-trained Afghan military sparked outrage from U.S government officials across the board who have now deemed the Afghan mission a colossal failure. Opposition to the troop withdrawal highlight fears such as human rights abuses and the opening up of a breeding ground for international terrorism.

U.S allies in Europe have been left very frustrated with President Biden’s decision to pull troops out of the nation which has been under a U.S-led occupation for 20 years. Lawmakers in the U.S and Europe argue that an American presence in Afghanistan is vital to maintaining peace in the region, protecting basic human rights for women and children, and protecting the U.S and allied interests. The leaders of the three largest European economies (Germany, Britain, and France,) have made clear that they regret Biden’s decision to remove all troops from the country.

The chaos that ensued from the hasty withdrawal has forced European leaders to scramble and try and persuade Biden to extend the withdrawal date, which is currently set for August 31st. According to the British defense secretary, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will push Biden to extend the evacuation date to allow for more time to evacuate foreign nationals and helpers.

NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, participating in the meeting of G7 Leaders, hosted virtually by the UK Presidency of the G7 (Photo | Nato)

Immediately after an emergency virtual meeting between G7 leaders, Boris Johnson stated that the UK would continue the evacuation process “until the last moment.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said that Germany would help evacuate people beyond the August 31st deadline.

Biden told G7 leaders that the US was on pace to complete the mission by the end of the month. He also defended the swift withdrawal saying, “the sooner we finish, the better.”

Despite the pleas from European allies, the Biden administration seems to be pushing ahead with its plans for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of the month.