Why did the United States leave Afghanistan? He explained Joe Biden’s withdrawal and how long it took the Taliban to come to power

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US President Joe Biden said US forces will withdraw by August 31, after he warned that staying in Afghanistan would mean additional US losses and would continue the war that began two decades ago.

During an August 12 news conference, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “We are not going to have a ‘mission accomplished’ moment in this regard. It’s a 20-year war that has not been won militarily.”

This was a reference to former President George W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech in 2003. A statement that was widely criticized after he declared that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”

Since 2001, US forces and allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have forced the Taliban from power. The United States invaded Afghanistan to locate Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks.

Although a presence has continued since then, the Taliban have regrouped and regained strength in the hinterland.

Billions of dollars have been allocated to US forces to fight the Taliban insurgency and fund reconstruction.

While other foreign forces were in the country, NATO ended its combat mission on December 14, but decided to keep a force of 13,000 soldiers to help train Afghan forces.

Withdrawal of US forces

Afghan security forces have been trained and equipped by the United States and NATO allies, including the United Kingdom, for the past 20 years.

In February 2020, the United States and the Taliban concluded a deal called the “Agreement for Peace in Afghanistan” that stipulated that the United States would withdraw its forces from the country, the Taliban would regain control, and al-Qaeda would cease operating in the areas under their control. their control.

In April 2021, US President Biden announced on April 14 that all US forces would be withdrawn by August 31, 2021, before the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The US president also said it was time for Afghans to decide “their future and how they want to run their country.”

The Pentagon announced that more than 90 percent of the withdrawal had already been completed, after top defense officials advised Biden that it was best to move quickly, as Biden said: “In this context, speed is safety.”

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Taliban victory in Afghanistan is a humiliation for President Joe Biden and undermines the reputation of the United States

The rise of the Taliban

After nearly 20 years of holding back US forces, the Taliban has taken control of the country.

The group now controls all major cities across the country. On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled to Uzbekistan.

The Taliban captured some areas from the government by force, but in others, Afghan forces withdrew without a shot being fired from either side.

On July 9, the Taliban took control of more than 90 cities, 167 cities were disputed and the government took control of 141 cities. On August 15, 12 cities were still under government control, 41 cities were disputed and 345 cities were captured by the militants.

Zaranj was the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in early August. In the following days, the group captured several other cities and then on August 13 they captured four major cities in one day.

Timeline of Taliban advances April 14: US President Joe Biden announces withdrawal plans May 4: Taliban fighters launch major offensive in Helmand province June 22: UN says Taliban have captured more than 50 out of 3,702 districts July: US withdraws from its territory . Major military base, Bagram Air Base August 6: Zaranj, capital of a province in the south of the country, becomes first to fall to Taliban August 13: Taliban seize four major cities in one day August 15: Taliban enter Kabul, Taliban capital. Appearance of

Founded by Muhammad Omar in 1994, the Taliban controlled Afghanistan from 1996 until US forces ousted it from power. It is a fundamentalist Islamic group that emerged from the resistance to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the Mujahideen, between 1979-89.

The Mujahideen, who were supported, armed and trained by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, Internal Intelligence (ISI), became the Taliban. The Taliban imposed their own interpretation of Islamic law on the country, which includes severe restrictions on women by excluding them from most aspects of public life.

A report commissioned by NATO and obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty found that the group earned £1.15 billion in the financial year ending March 2020, being funded by the opium trade, as Afghanistan supplies the vast majority of illicit heroin across the country. Globe.

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