-Biden says withdrawal of American soldiers from Afghanistan by May 1
possible but ‘tough’
KABUL: The Taliban have warned of “consequences” if the United States fails to meet a deadline to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, after President Joe Biden said doing so would be “tough”.
The United States is supposed to complete a full withdrawal of troops within six weeks, according to an agreement signed in Qatar with the Taliban.
“The Americans should end their occupation in accordance with the Doha deal and fully withdraw their forces from Afghanistan by May 1,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told media. “If they don t do it, be it for any reason and pretexts, then they will be responsible for the consequences,” he said, adding that “the people of Afghanistan will make their decision”.
The deal, which excluded the Afghan government, saw the Taliban pledge in return to hold peace talks with the administration of President Ashraf Ghani.
The talks however have made little progress since starting in September, while violence, which Washington has blamed on the Taliban, has surged. Meanwhile, 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 an interview being broadcasted on Wednesday.
“I m in the process of making that decision now as to when they ll leave,” he said while taking a direct swipe as 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.
“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 is one of the issues we are 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.
