US President Joe Biden will meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, on Friday, at the White House to discuss the United States’ troop withdrawal amid an uptick in fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban across the country.
Biden will attempt to reassure Ghani and Abdullah of US commitment for the Afghan people, including diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance, in their first face-to-face encounter, according to the White House. Biden will also reiterate his commitment to prevent the United States from becoming a safe haven for terrorist organizations.
“The visit by President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues,” the White House said.
However, the Taliban has taken at least 30 districts since Biden’s decision in April to draw out all US forces by September 11 to end America’s longest war after almost 20 years of warfare.
As the US started removing soldiers on May 1 and closing certain sites and handing them over to the Afghan government, the organization launched a drive to extend its influence throughout the nation.
According to the Taliban, the visit would be “useless.”
“They (Ghani and Abdullah) will talk with the U.S. officials for the preservation of their power and personal interest,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. “It won’t benefit Afghanistan.”
Ghani’s administration did not respond immediately, but a senior Afghan official said the Afghan president would seek guarantees from the US that it will continue to assist Afghan security forces after the departure.
The visit would also take place in the midst of sluggish progress in Qatari negotiations between Taliban and Afghan government officials. Officials have expressed worry about the stalled talks, claiming that the Taliban has failed to present a formal peace plan that might serve as a starting point for serious discussions.
If the Islamist radicals reclaimed national control, US intelligence experts predicted that the Taliban would “roll back much” of the gains achieved in Afghan women’s rights.
Afghans who worked with the US throughout NATO’s two-decade presence worry that the insurgency would attack them and their families as retaliation for assisting foreign soldiers.
According to the Biden administration, more personnel will be hired to speed up the visa process for Afghans. However, several members of Congress and refugee supporters believe the effort falls short of their expectations.
In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the matter was of “utmost importance” to Biden, and that the administration was removing individuals “at a record rate,” but he did not provide a number.
“And we are doing the kind of extensive planning for potential evacuation should that become necessary. We will take all of these steps to ensure that we do right by the people who did right by us,” he said.
When asked whether the increasing violence in Afghanistan was causing the administration to postpone the withdrawal of American troops from Bagram Air Facility, the country’s biggest military base, Sullivan replied there had been no change in plans thus far, but added:
“What we’re doing is looking every week to check as the drawdown unfolds, whether or not it lines up with our effort to ensure that there is a sufficient security presence at the embassy, that the airport will be secure.”
