US President Joe Biden to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah at the White House
US President Joe Biden will meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah today in Washington.
The three will discuss the US’ involvement in Afghanistan following the planned September 11 withdrawal of American troops from the country. Though the Biden administration has affirmed its commitment to Kabul’s survival, specifics regarding this commitment have yet to materialize.
Today’s meeting comes amidst a routing of Afghan forces by the Taliban. The insurgents have captured more than 50 of the country’s 370 districts since May and have continued their offensive. More troubling, the Taliban have recently captured Afghanistan’s main border crossing with Tajikistan and are now positioned to assault the major northern city of Kunduz.
Biden, Ghani and Abdullah will commit today to stand by Afghanistan, though that will not change the reality on the ground. The US’ withdrawal has emboldened the Taliban and the US intelligence community now projects the group could capture Kabul as soon as March 2022. Biden likely sees this outcome as inevitable as the Afghan military remains rife with corruption and desertions, making them an ineffective opponent to the Taliban. Thus, expect Kabul to sue for peace before the Taliban overruns Kabul.
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