U.S. President Joe Biden has decided to push forward the May 1 deadline to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan that former President Donald Trump had negotiated with the Taliban.
American officials told the Associated Press that the goal is now for the military to leave the country on September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
Biden had been dropping hints for weeks about keeping troops in Afghanistan past the planned withdrawal date, implying that pulling out the remaining 2,500 soldiers in the near future would be unlikely.
The Washington Post reported that Biden’s decision could provoke the Taliban to attack U.S. and Afghan forces, potentially creating an escalation in the two decades long war.
The move also reopens debate into whether American military should still be in the country after 20 years fighting what critics describe as an endless war.
The Taliban signed a February 2020 agreement with the Trump administration to cease attacks and begin peace talks with the Afghan government in exchange for an American complete withdrawal by May 2021.
Since that time, Taliban attacks on American troops have mostly stopped though Taliban attacks on Afghans have continued. The Taliban have also not severed ties with al-Qaida as promised in the agreement.
Upon taking office in February, Biden was given the choice of whether to proceed with the withdrawal or chose another course of action. He launched a review of the deal shortly after he assumed the presidency.