Biden To Stick To Afghanistan Withdrawal Deadline

The Washington Post reports:

President Biden, who held a virtual meeting with G-7 leaders Tuesday morning, has faced pressure from allies to extend the Aug. 31 deadline for U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, amid scenes of chaos around the Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans try to flee the country.

But as evacuations of Americans and others ramp up, the president is seeking to adhere to the original timetable, according to a senior Biden administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private planning. Biden had suggested that the U.S. might extend its stay, though the Taliban had rejected that idea.

The Pentagon is preparing a contingency plan, should the evacuation mission not be completed on schedule. The Taliban repeated Tuesday that it views the United States’ Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan as final.

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LATEST: President Biden intends to stick to the current Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, leaving a narrow timeline to finish evacuating Americans and Afghan allies, according to multiple senior admin. officials. https://t.co/rhjmkOu9UY

— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 24, 2021