United States was supposed to withdraw military troops from Afghanistan by May according to the Doha agreement with Taliban. However, according to the report by Washington Post US may not do so.
The administration of former US president Donald Trump had agreed in Doha in February 2020 that the US troops will withdraw from the war-torn country by May 1.
Although Joe Biden administration has not decided on the troop withdrawal yet, sources within the US government and former officials believe that the deadline may be extended.
Former aide on Afghanistan in the Obama and Trump administrations, Laurel Miller, told that it would be “unfathomable” for the US to pull out American forces in the next 60 days without jeopardising the Afghan peace process.
Miller believes that the US extension is likely and it is something that the Afghan Taliban are expecting.
The report said that the Biden administration believes that the Taliban have not complied with the Doha agreement as violence in Afghanistan continues.
A senior administration official told the publication earlier this month,
“I think there is some work to do to get them [Afghan Taliban] to full compliance.”
The official noted that the Joe Biden administration believes the Afghan Taliban have not fully broken off with al-Qaeda.
Mohammad Naeem, Afghan Taliban spokesman for their Doha office, said that US has not officially communicated any change in the exit timeline.
“We have an agreement which is signed by the United States, a superpower and backed by the United Nations and the international community. They have to follow it,” said Naeem.
The Washington Post reported that military leaders have told the Biden administration that a premature departure from Afghanistan may lead to a civil war and increase the possibility of terrorist attacks targeting the US.
