‘Do not regret’: US President rules out any change to troop withdrawal decision
As the Taliban continued to tighten its grip over war-torn Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday ruled out any changes in the withdrawal of his troops from the South Asian country. Speaking to reporters at the White House Biden stressed that Afghan leaders should “come together” to fight for their country.
The Afghan troops outnumber the Taliban and must want to fight… “They’ve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation,” he said at the media interaction as per Reuters’ report.
The US President also said that he does not regret his decision to pull out as the Taliban insurgents now expanding their control to over 50 per cent of the country, nearing it to another civil war.
Washington has spent more than $1 trillion over 20 years and lost thousands of troops, Biden noted, adding that the United States continues to provide significant air support, food, equipment and salaries to Afghan forces, according to Reuters.
Afghans are beginning to realise they have got to come together politically at the top, he also said. “We are going to continue to keep our commitment. But I do not regret my decision.”
As of Tuesday, Taliban insurgents have gained control of 65 per cent of Afghanistan since the US troops started withdrawing from the country in May this year. The Pentagon says that it has already withdrawn more than 90 per cent of troops from Afghanistan. President Biden has ordered the withdrawal of all the US troops from Afghanistan by September 11.
On Tuesday, Pul-e-Khumri northern Afghanistan became the seventh regional capital – the eighth provincial city – to come under the control of the Islamist militants in about a week. It is located at 230 kilometres (140 mi) north of Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan.
In Aibak, a provincial capital between the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul, Taliban fighters were moving into government buildings. Most government forces appeared to have withdrawn.
For years, the northern region of Afghanistan has remained mostly peaceful. Since now the insurgents are focussing on that region experts say that their strategy seems to be to take the north, and border crossings in the north, west and south, and then close in on Kabul.
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the US went to Afghanistan to deliver justice to those who attacked them on September 11, to disrupt terrorists seeking to use Afghanistan as a safe haven to attack the United States. “We achieved those objectives some years ago,” she said. “We judge the threat now against our homeland, which is his responsibility as commander-in-chief to focus on, as being one where the threat emanates from outside of Afghanistan,” she added.