×

Biden Says It’s ‘Tough’ To Withdraw US Troops From Afghanistan

  US President Joe Biden warned that a deadline to withdraw all American soldiers from Afghanistan by May 1 as part of a deal with … Continue reading Biden Says It’s ‘Tough’ To Withdraw US Troops From Afghanistan


File photo: President Joe Biden speaks from the State Dining Room following the passage of the American Rescue Plan in the U.S. Senate at the White House on March 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Senate passed the bill 50-49 which will go back to the House for a final vote. Samuel Corum/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Samuel Corum / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
File photo: President Joe Biden speaks from the State Dining Room following the passage of the American Rescue Plan in the U.S. Senate at the White House on March 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Senate passed the bill 50-49 which will go back to the House for a final vote. Samuel Corum/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Samuel Corum / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

 

US President Joe Biden warned that a deadline to withdraw all American soldiers from Afghanistan by May 1 as part of a deal with the Taliban was possible but “tough.”

“Could happen, but it is tough,” Biden said when asked in a TV interview broadcast Wednesday.

“I’m in the process of making that decision now as to when they’ll leave,” he said while taking a direct swipe at his predecessor Donald Trump.

“The fact is that that was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president, the former president worked out,” he said.

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation about the new coronavirus relief package from the Rosevelt Room of The White House on February 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. Samuel Corum-Pool/Getty Images/AFP
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation about the new coronavirus relief package from the Rosevelt Room of The White House on February 27, 2021, in Washington, DC. Samuel Corum-Pool/Getty Images/AFP

 

“The failure to have an orderly transition from the Trump presidency to my presidency, which usually takes place from election day to the time he’s sworn in, has cost me time and consequences.

“That’s one of the issues we’re talking about now, in terms of Afghanistan.”

The United States is supposed to complete a withdrawal of all its troops by May 1 in an agreement that also saw the Taliban insurgents agree to peace talks with the administration of President Abdul Ghani.

But those talks — held in Qatar since September — have made little progress.

Washington wants to jump-start the peace process and get the Taliban and Afghan government to agree to some form of power-sharing.