President Joe Biden has announced that all US troops will be removed from Afghanistan this year.
In an emotional speech on Wednesday, 14th of April, 2021, president Joe Biden announced the complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11th, the twenty-year anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.
“War in Afghanistan was never meant to be a multigenerational undertaking,” Biden claimed in his announcement, “We were attacked, we went to war with clear goals. We achieved those objectives.” However, the decision has sparked great controversy and elicited critique from politicians like Lindsay Graham, who believes abandoning the war in Afghanistan will allow the Taliban to easily retake control.
President Biden made his decision against the advice of the Defense Department and generals like Mark A. Milley, who, along with previous generals, have consistently resisted pressure from presidents to end the war in Afghanistan. Several veterans also display mixed feelings toward the end of the war. According to former Army officer Jason Dempsey, “There’s no easy answer, no victory dance… the end of the war only bring a collective feeling of guilt and introspection.”
However, many Afghan citizens fear that the departure of US troops will lead to a rise in Taliban violence. “The withdrawal of these forces is a desire of the Afghan people, but at the moment, the conditions have not been made for this to happen. There is a possibility of the return of civil war and this will change Afghanistan into a hub of international terrorism,” says Mir Rahman Rahmani, speaker for Afghanistan’s parliament.
Others in the country disagree. People like Sayed Shaheer, a student at Kabul University, is confident that Afghanistan’s military can fend off the Taliban. “We can rebuild our country and we’ll have peace. Our security and defense forces are stronger than before,” Shaheer says.
As the withdrawal of troops continues, it remains to be seen whether or not their absence will cause a Taliban resurgence. Complete peace is likely still far-off, but perhaps this is a step in the right direction
In an emotional speech on Wednesday, 14th of April, 2021, president Joe Biden announced the complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11th, the twenty-year anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.
“War in Afghanistan was never meant to be a multigenerational undertaking,” Biden claimed in his announcement, “We were attacked, we went to war with clear goals. We achieved those objectives.” However, the decision has sparked great controversy and elicited critique from politicians like Lindsay Graham, who believes abandoning the war in Afghanistan will allow the Taliban to easily retake control.
President Biden made his decision against the advice of the Defense Department and generals like Mark A. Milley, who, along with previous generals, have consistently resisted pressure from presidents to end the war in Afghanistan. Several veterans also display mixed feelings toward the end of the war. According to former Army officer Jason Dempsey, “There’s no easy answer, no victory dance… the end of the war only bring a collective feeling of guilt and introspection.”
However, many Afghan citizens fear that the departure of US troops will lead to a rise in Taliban violence. “The withdrawal of these forces is a desire of the Afghan people, but at the moment, the conditions have not been made for this to happen. There is a possibility of the return of civil war and this will change Afghanistan into a hub of international terrorism,” says Mir Rahman Rahmani, speaker for Afghanistan’s parliament.
Others in the country disagree. People like Sayed Shaheer, a student at Kabul University, is confident that Afghanistan’s military can fend off the Taliban. “We can rebuild our country and we’ll have peace. Our security and defense forces are stronger than before,” Shaheer says.
As the withdrawal of troops continues, it remains to be seen whether or not their absence will cause a Taliban resurgence. Complete peace is likely still far-off, but perhaps this is a step in the right direction.
