US President Joe Biden on Friday denied answering White House reporters’ questions about Afghanistan troop withdrawal, saying he didn’t want to answer any more on the topic because it was a holiday weekend.
During his briefing, the US President answered questions about a positive June jobs report and took multiple questions about the situation in Afghanistan. The US is withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan after a decade.
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After answering questions on the nation’s security issues and the withdrawal timeline, Biden said he wanted to talk about “happy things.”
“I’m not going to answer any more … Look, it’s the Fourth of July,” Biden said. He added, “I’m concerned that you guys are asking me questions that I’ll answer next week.”
The US President last month snipped at press reporter and later apologised to her. The reporter had question about his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and he told her her she was in the “wrong business.”
The last US troops are soon set to leave Bagram Airfield near Kabul, Afghanistan, leaving the Afghan military to contend with the Taliban. In April, the US President issued orders for the departure of the 2,500 remaining troops in Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, the anniversary of the 2001 attacks.
The withdrawal of troops is based on a three-way deal between the US, Afghanistan government and Taliban. The deal was originally brokered under former US president Donald Trump administration. According to the deal, there are underlying conditions, including re-establishing stability in Afghanistan, discontinuing hostile attacks by Taliban on American personnel and peace building.