Pulling out of A’stan

US begins withdrawal

The United States has begun the troop-withdrawal process in Afghanistan, a top Army commander has revealed, after President Biden this month announced a full removal by Sept. 11.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference in Kabul on Sunday, US Army Gen. Scott Miller, commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, made the revelation after being asked if American troop withdrawal had begun.

“All of our forces are now preparing to retrograde,” Miller replied, adding, “Officially, the notification date will be the first of May. But at the same time, as we start taking local actions, we’ve already begun that.”

The comment marks official confirmation that the withdrawal process is in motion, though it likely would have needed to begin soon anyway to meet Biden’s deadline to bring all troops home.

Biden had hinted prior to his announcement that former President Donald Trump’s May 1 withdrawal date would be hard to meet because of “tactical reasons” and would be impossible to accomplish in a safe and orderly fashion.

In a speech explaining his decision, Biden argued that the US had achieved its goal of eliminating Osama bin Laden and destroying his al Qaeda terror network, a contention that many progressives and a growing number of Republicans support.

“I’ve concluded it’s time to end America’s longest war. It’s time for American troops to come home,” Biden said at the time.

“I’m now the fourth United States president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan: two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.”

Critics of the move have cautioned that it could lead to the creation of a new ISIS, as President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw from Iraq did in 2011.