Taleban Urges Biden to Fully Implement U.S. Troop Withdrawal

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The Islamic extremist militant group Taliban in Afghanistan has once again urged U.S. President Joe Biden to fulfill former President Donald Trump's promise of troop withdrawal.

According to major foreign media on the 16th (local time), the Taliban issued a statement signed by its co-founder, requesting the United States to implement the peace agreement reached in February last year during former President Donald Trump's administration.

As President Biden is reportedly reviewing the peace agreement, including the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops and Afghanistan policy made during the Trump administration, this is interpreted as an attempt to pressure the U.S. using ongoing negotiations as a pretext.

Previously, former President Trump agreed to withdraw U.S. and international allied forces by May, and the Taliban agreed to prevent extremist militant activities in Afghanistan and to resume dialogue among Afghan factions. As a result, the number of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan has been reduced from about 12,000 to 2,500.

The Biden administration is reportedly reviewing the peace agreement, fearing that once all foreign troops leave, the Taliban could quickly overthrow the Afghan government and take control of the entire country.

Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), also stated that NATO forces will not withdraw from Afghanistan until the appropriate time.

The Taliban also urged President-elect Biden on the 18th of last month to respect the existing agreement to withdraw all U.S. troops by May.

The Taliban, which controlled about 90% of the territory, lost power after the U.S. invaded in 2001 for harboring Osama bin Laden, who carried out the September 11 attacks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.