Biden announced a full US troop withdrawal starting on May 1 in the White House Treaty Room on Wednesday, the same room where Bush declared the first airstrikes in Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001.
US President Joe Biden spoke with former President George W. Bush on Tuesday, ahead of his announcement that US troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
“While he and I have had many disagreements over policy throughout the years, we're absolutely united in our respect and support for the valor, the courage and integrity of the women and men in the United States Armed Forces who served, and immensely grateful for the bravery and backbone they have shown through nearly two decades of combat deployments,” he 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,” Biden added in his address.
Jen Psaki, however, dodged a query on Wednesday about whether US special forces troops will stay in Afghanistan.
Decision to Withdraw Troops From Afghanistan Was “Absolutely Clear” to Biden
Later in the day, after the televised address, Biden told reporters that the decision to start the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan was clear to him.
The president announced on Wednesday that the US will begin withdrawing its 2,500 troops from Afghanistan on May 1 and hopes to be fully out by September 11. NATO forces will…
