US President Joe Biden will remove all US troops from Afghanistan before this year’s 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, reports AFP quoting a US official.

Biden has “reached the conclusion that the United States will complete its drawdown — will remove its forces from Afghanistan — before September 11,” AFP quoted an anonymous official as saying.

Biden will make an announcement Wednesday that all US forces, in coordination with those of Western allies, will leave other than limited personnel to guard US diplomatic installations, the official said.

The departure will not be linked to conditions on the ground, although there is widespread fear that the Taliban could gain a lot against the internationally-backed government in Afghanistan.

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According to the official, Biden is of the opinion that “a conditions-based approach”, like the one US has for the past two decades, “is a recipe for staying in Afghanistan forever.” 

For Afghans, war will most likely go on.

US intelligence has just released a threat assessment report warning that the Afghan government “will struggle” to hold off the “confident” Taliban if the US-led coalition withdraws, AFP reported.

The previous Donald Trump administration was also in the favour of a withdrawal and had signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020. According to that deal, all US troops would be withdrawn from the country by May 2021.The insurgents’ promised that they will back Al-Qaeda and other extremists -– the original reason for the 2001 invasion.