Joe Biden says it will be 'hard to meet' May 1 deadline negotiated by Donald Trump for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan – but says the U.S. is 'not staying a long time'
President Joe Biden said at his first formal press conference that it would be 'hard to meet' a May 1 deadline to withdrawal U.S. troops from Afghanistan, site of the nation's longest war.
'It’s going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline,' he said when asked about the impending deadline, negotiated by his predecessor President Donald Trump.
'Just in terms of tactical reasons, hard to get those troops out,' Biden said, when asked about his plans Thursday.
'It’s going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline,' President Joe Biden said when asked if he would have U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by that date
He said the nation was coordinating with allies, and allowed: 'If we leave, we're going to do so in a safe and orderly way.'
Asked initially about his past writings that it was time to end the nation's 'forever wars,' Biden added: 'It is not my intention to stay there for a long time.'
'How and under what circumstances do we meet that agreement that was made by President Trump to leave under a deal that looks like it’s not been able to be worked out to begin with - how is that done?' he said.
The U.S. has had troops in Afghanistan since 2001
President Donald Trump's administration negotiated the exit date before he left office
He provided no specifics when it came to the calendar.
'But we are not staying a long time. We will leave. The question is when we leave,' he said. Asked if U.S. troops would still be there a year from now, Biden responded: 'I can’t picture that being the case.'
The Trump administration negotiated the deadline in talks with the Taliban in February 2020. It tied the withdrawal to the Taliban cutting ties with Al Qaeda and ending attacks on U.S. forces.
There are currently about 2,500 U.S. troops there.
Some advisors fear a total withdrawal will lead to more chaos in the country.
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