US Forces to Leave Afghanistan by the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

US Forces to Leave Afghanistan by the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

By Brian W. Everstine

U.S. forces will leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11—the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Biden administration officials said. President Joe Biden is expected to formally announce the plan on April 14. The new deadline is not “conditions based,” unlike previous decisions on troop levels. A senior administration official, who spoke with reporters on background, said sticking with the conditions-based approach is a “recipe” for U.S. forces to stay in the country forever. The U.S. already has drawn down to about 2,500 in Afghanistan, from a peak of more than 100,000 in 2011.