The White House claimed Wednesday it is confident that the Taliban would stick to an agreement not to let al Qaeda regain safe haven in Afghanistan as it defended President Joe Biden’s decision to pull out the troops by Sept. 11 — a gamble that could bite the president.
The public withdrawal timetable raises concerns that insurgents could simply wait out the U.S. presence before redoubling efforts to seize control of the country.
“We have an expectation that the Taliban is going to abide by their commitments and they are not going to allow Afghanistan to become a pariah state,” said press secretary Jen Psaki. “That’s our view. That’s also in their interests, in our view.”
BIDEN TO SAY ‘IDEAL CONDITIONS’ FOR AFGHAN EXIT WILL NEVER EXIST
The Taliban agreed last year to sever ties with terrorist groups such as al Qaeda as part of a deal with Washington. However, it is unclear whether the Taliban intend to stick to the agreement, which committed the United States to withdrawing troops by May 1.
Speaking shortly before Biden is expected to address the nation on his decision, Psaki said waiting for the right conditions for an exit could mean leaving troops there forever.
“His view is that when you talk about a conditions-based withdrawal, it punts it down the road. We will never leave,” she said. “What conditions would be required to leave? By how long? What does that mean? What is the additional cost.”
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About 2,500 U.S. forces remain in the country, along with up to 7,000 NATO and coalition forces.
