Biden: It is difficult for all US troops to leave Afghanistan by May 1

The American president described it as difficult Joe Biden to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by May 1, as stipulated in the agreement reached by his predecessor with the Taliban, who immediately warned of any delay.

“It may be done, but it is difficult,” Biden said in an interview broadcast Wednesday by ABC television, which was broadcast by AMBE.

“I am in the process of deciding when they will leave” The US president stressed that the announcement will not be long in coming, but will be made after negotiations with US partners and the Afghan government.

“The fact is that the agreement negotiated by the former president (Donald Trump) was not very solid,” Biden complained. He also said that as there was no smooth transition from the Trump administration to his own, from November to January, he was unable to “access this information” mainly on the content of the agreement between Washington and the Taliban, which delays the process.

The United States signed a historic agreement with the Taliban in Qatar in February 2020, which provides for the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan until May 1, in exchange for guarantees from the rebels for security in the country and the start of direct intra-Afghan negotiations between the Taliban and Kabul.

“The Americans must end their occupation under the Doha agreement and withdraw all their troops from Afghanistan by May 1,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP yesterday.

“If they do not, they will be responsible for the consequences,” he said.

The inter-Afghan negotiations that began in Doha in September remain stalled and violence continues to escalate in Afghanistan. The Trump administration also says the rebels have not complied with their commitments under the agreement to sever ties with jihadist organizations such as al Qaeda.

Talks in Russia and Turkey

That is why the Americans are trying to restart the peace process.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has sent a letter to Afghan leaders urging them to accept a draft agreement providing for the formation of a transitional government in which the Taliban, as well as permanent truce.

US envoy Zalmai Khalilzad, one of the few Trump administration officials to hold office, has stepped up his visits to Kabul and Doha in a bid to persuade both sides.

But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani At this stage, it categorically rejects the possibility of the Taliban joining the government, even if it is transient.

In his letter, Blinken warns Ghani that the possibility of a complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan remains open. In which case, as the US Secretary of State notes, “the security situation is in danger of deteriorating” and the Taliban “to quickly win victories on the ground.”

However, in private discussions, senior US officials estimate that it is too late, from a logistical point of view, to complete the withdrawal of US forces by May 1.

Meanwhile, talks between Kabul and the Taliban are being moved to Russia today. Moscow has expressed support for the US-led proposal to form a transitional government with the participation of the rebels and has invited representatives of the United States, Pakistan and China to attend the talks.

Khalilzad will take part in the talks in Moscow, with Washington saying that the Russian initiative is part of “international efforts to support the Afghan peace process.”

THE UN, who will not participate in these talks, he stated Special Envoy for Afghanistan Jean Arno, French.

The Biden government gives the impression that it wants to involve other countries in its efforts to get out of the stalemate in the inter-Afghan negotiations.

At Blinken’s request, Turkey is expected to hold a peace conference in Afghanistan in April.