US President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that American troops would be departing from Afghanistan on August 31, exactly 11 days before the deadline previously outlined by the White House.
The Thursday announcement saw Biden telling the nation that the goals of the US mission in Afghanistan have been “achieved” since the killing of Osama bin Laden and the pushback against al-Qaeda. However, when asked, Biden stressed that “there’s no mission accomplished” in regards to Afghanistan.
Remaining defiant in the face of recent gains made by the Taliban in the war-torn nation, Biden further underscored that the future of Afghanistan would now be in the hands of its people, as history has proven that no outside nation has successfully managed to unify the country.
“We did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build,” Biden remarked, touching on the US’ extensive track record on such efforts, some of which more recently include Iraq.
“It’s up to the Afghans to make decisions about the future of their country.”