US war in Afghanistan ends Aug 31 after two decades; Biden wants Afghan people to decide future

On April 14, 2021, President Joe Biden promised to end the "Forever war" by announcing a full US pull-out on September 11, 2021, largely out of symbolism to commemorate the 20th year of Global War on Terror (GWOT). In a major announcement on Thursday, Biden said the US military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on August 31 after nearly 20 years.

"We did not go to Afghanistan to nation build, and it's the right and responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country," Biden said.

Biden reasoned his decision behind the withdrawal of US troops from the war-torn country. The president said he didn't trust the Taliban but had faith in the capacity of the Afghan military to defend the government.

"How many more, how many more thousands of American daughters and sons are you willing to risk?" Biden said, responding to critics calling for the U.S. to extend the military operation in Afghanistan, AP reported.

"I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan, with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome," he added.

Biden also urged the Afghan government to reach a deal with the Taliban as it was unlikely that a single government could control the country following the US withdrawal.

"The mission was accomplished in that we got Osama bin Laden and terrorism is not emanating from that part of the world," he said.

Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

Just last week, Biden had said that the drawdown in Afghanistan is "on track", but troops will not leave the country in the next few days.

"I wanted to make sure there was enough running room that we... wouldn't be able to do it all till September," he added, Xinhua reported. "There'll still be some forces left, but it's a rational drawdown with our allies... there is nothing unusual about it."

Biden's words came as US troops had left a major military base in Afghanistan. A spokesperson for the Afghan Defense Ministry confirmed earlier in the day that all US and NATO forces in Afghanistan had evacuated the Bagram Airfield near Kabul, handing over the largest coalition base to Afghan government troops.