Biden, "August 31 Deadline for Afghan Withdrawal Maintained... It's Better to End Quickly"

"Terror Threat Increases if Troop Deployment Extended"
Taliban Also Pressures to Adhere to Withdrawal Deadline

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] U.S. President Joe Biden has stated that he will adhere to the existing August 31 withdrawal deadline from Afghanistan despite requests from key allies to extend the deadline. He pointed out that extending the withdrawal deadline could increase pressure from the Taliban as well as concentrate attacks from various terrorist groups on Kabul Airport, potentially threatening the safety of evacuation personnel. However, there is a growing demand within U.S. political circles to extend the withdrawal deadline, raising the possibility that his stance may be reversed in the future.

On the 24th (local time), President Biden said at a press conference following a G7 virtual summit at the White House, "We aim to complete the evacuation operation by the August 31 withdrawal deadline," adding, "The sooner we finish, the better." Earlier, at the G7 summit, President Biden had firmly stated to allies that he would stick to the existing withdrawal deadline.

President Biden emphasized, "The longer the deployment period, the more serious the risk of attacks by Islamic State (IS)-affiliated terrorists in Afghanistan," and added, "Terrorists known as IS-K are currently targeting U.S. and allied forces as well as innocent civilians at Kabul Airport." The U.S. Department of Defense had reportedly advised President Biden to maintain the withdrawal deadline due to concerns over terrorist threats.

President Biden also said, "However, I have asked the Department of Defense and the State Department to be prepared to adjust the schedule if emergency plans are necessary," leaving room for some adjustment to the withdrawal schedule should sudden changes occur.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Taliban once again pressured the U.S. and Western countries to adhere to the withdrawal deadline. According to Afghan local media Tolo News, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, said at a press conference, "The U.S. and Western countries must strictly observe the August 31 withdrawal deadline," adding, "Foreign nationals will continue to be allowed access to Kabul Airport, but access for local Afghans will be controlled," and emphasized, "The U.S. and Western countries should not extract skilled personnel such as engineers and doctors from within Afghanistan."

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