Biden Says Leaving Afghanistan By May Would Be ‘Tough’

Biden said he is in the process of deciding when troops will leave and said the US-Taliban deal was not 'very solidly negotiated'

President Biden said in an interview that aired on Wednesday that withdrawing from Afghanistan by the May 1st deadline set by the US-Taliban peace deal will be “tough.”

“I am in the process of making that decision now as to when they will leave,” Biden said of the remaining US troops in Afghanistan. He said the deal signed between the US and the Taliban last year in Doha was not “very solidly negotiated.”

“And so we’re in consultation with our allies as well as the government, and that decision’s in process now,” Biden added. When asked if the process will take longer than May 1st, the president said, “I don’t think a lot longer.” He said a withdrawal by May 1st “could happen, but it is tough.”

The US appears to be trying to buy more time in Afghanistan. The Biden administration presented the Taliban and the US-backed government with a power-sharing deal for an interim government, which both sides are now deliberating on.

Russia is hosting an Afghanistan summit on Thursday and is pushing for the warring sides to accept Washington’s proposal. A Taliban delegation, representatives from the Afghan government, and US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad will meet in Moscow.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.