The withdrawal extends the presence of US forces beyond a May 1 deadline set by the Trump administration in an agreement with the Taliban, but only by a matter of months.
Biden had weighed in on the decision with his advisers for months, indicating that he did not believe US troops should stay in the country long past the deadline.
The senior government official said NATO forces would also follow the same withdrawal timeline. It is possible that US forces will be withdrawn “well before” 9/11, the official said, saying this was the last possible time for the remaining personnel to leave.
The official said the US had informed the Taliban “in no uncertain terms” that attacks on US forces during the withdrawal process would be met with retaliation.
In discussions over the past month, Biden was “adamant” that a hasty withdrawal was not feasible. But he felt that staying in the country much longer did not match the needs of the current global threat assessment. Biden called for a policy review that would include “ truly realistic options ” that wouldn’t make that situation “ sugary.
The official said that contrary to previous attempts to set a US withdrawal date, Biden’s deadline was not based on conditions.
The president has held that a conditions-based approach, which is then the approach of the past two decades, is a recipe for staying in Afghanistan forever. And so he has come to the conclusion that the United States will complete the withdrawal. , troops are out of Afghanistan before Sept. 11, ”the senior official said.
US officials say there are about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. In addition, it is not immediately clear what will happen to several hundred US special operations forces as they often work for the CIA on counter-terrorism missions. Those troops are not publicly recognized and are not part of the formal calculation of 2,500 troops in the country.
The decision would end the longest war in American history
Biden’s new September 11 deadline to withdraw US forces would symbolically end the longest war in US history: exactly 20 years after the September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks that triggered the first US invasion of Afghanistan .
The official said the goals of the first invasion of Afghanistan – to bring justice to the 9/11 attacks and disrupt terrorists – had been achieved “several years ago”.
“This is not 2001. It is 2021. In 2021, the terrorist threat we face will come from a number of countries, even a number of continents,” the senior official said.
Now the US will focus on diplomatic efforts to promote peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The only US armed forces to remain in the country will be the ones needed to protect US diplomats there.
The withdrawal of Afghan troops is the first major decision of Biden’s presidency regarding US troops abroad, and Biden struggled for months with what to do in the run-up to the May 1 deadline set by his predecessor.
Last month, Biden indicated that he was unlikely to meet the May 1 deadline, but said at his first press conference as president that he did not expect US troops to stay in Afghanistan next year.
‘We won’t be staying long. We will leave, ”Biden said. “The question is when we leave.” He added, “It will be difficult to meet the May 1 deadline for tactical reasons alone.”
Secretary of State Tony Blinken laid the groundwork for Biden to make an announcement about the withdrawal in a phone call with President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday, according to two sources familiar with the phone call.
Blinken did not disclose precise details of the withdrawal, but explained that Biden would call Ghani on Thursday, and Blinken left the Afghan president thinking that Biden had decided to withdraw US forces over the next few months.
Biden government officials have also sent signals to Afghan officials at the work level that this was the direction they were heading, a source explained.
The Biden government is also making a series of phone calls to allies in the region this afternoon to explain their planned strategy, two diplomatic sources told CNN.
Ghani tweeted on Tuesday that he spoke to Blinken about planned US-backed peace talks between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban for this week and Biden’s upcoming phone call.
“Today I spoke with Secretary @ABlinken. We discussed the ongoing peace process, the upcoming peace talks in Turkey, and also talked about the upcoming phone call with President @JoeBiden,” tweeted Ghani.
Decision involves risks
The decision to set a deadline for the withdrawal poses risks as senior military commanders have advocated keeping US forces in the country and argued that a premature withdrawal could lead to a collapse of the Afghan government.
Recent attacks on US forces in Afghanistan have also raised concern. CNN reported last week that in March the Taliban twice attacked one of the most heavily guarded bases in the country and that US military personnel working for the CIA were at the installation when it came under attack.
The US wants to keep an intelligence agency in Afghanistan, according to two sources familiar with the case.
“The Taliban are likely to make gains on the battlefield, and the Afghan government will struggle to keep the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws aid,” the review said.
This story breaks and will be updated.