“We have not seen an increase in attacks on our military presence since February 2020. And we also assess that had we not begun to draw down violence would have increased against us as well after May 1 because that was what the Taliban was clearly conveying. So the status quo in our view was not an option,” Psaki said during a daily briefing.
She admitted to “elevated attacks” on Afghan security forces and the country’s government versus a year ago. Psaki refused to comment on media reports that the US intelligence community now estimates that the government of Afghanistan may fall within six months after the US withdrawal.
The United States has pulled more than half of its contingent from Afghanistan and vows to finalize the withdrawal by September 11, 2021. Psaki reiterated that the timeline will not be revised.