Hard to meet May 1 deadline to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, says Biden

(Karachi) United States President Joe Biden has said that withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by May 1 deadline would be 'hard to meet', local media reported on Friday. The president cited "tactical reasons" for the delay, but clarified it is not US government's intention to keep the troops for a long time in the war-torn country.

Addressing his first formal press conference after being elected as the US president, Biden said that it is necessary for US soldiers to leave Afghanistan in a safe and orderly manner. "If we leave, we're going to do so in a safe and orderly way," he said.

"Just in terms of tactical reasons, it is hard to get those troops out," he stated.

Biden remarked, "We are not staying a long time. We will leave. But the question is how and under what circumstances do we meet that agreement that was made by (former) President Trump."

US blame Taliban for violence

As part of an agreement negotiated by the Trump administration, the United States is supposed to pull out all its troops by May 1 after a deal was reached between the Taliban and Afghan administration agreeing to hold peace talks.

However, the peace process stalled due to increase in violent attacks on Afghan and allied forces in Afghanistan.

Head of US Army Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie said the Taliban are responsible for violence in Afghanistan, with civilians and Afghan security forces taking the brunt of the bloodshed.

However, the Taliban deny being behind the violence, saying those responsible are other militant groups.

Reduction in violence

The Taliban also claimed that they, not the United States, floated the proposal for a three-month reduction in violence in a bid to create a favourable atmosphere for intra-Afghan peace talks.

Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said: “We put forward a plan under which all related sides will reduce violence. But this is not a cease-fire.”

The Taliban stated that the proposal has been under discussion between the United States and the Taliban in Qatar for a while. “Both sides even held further discussions during a recent meeting in Doha between the Taliban and the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad,” the Taliban official transpired.

The idea of reduction in violence between the Taliban and Afghan forces surfaced when a letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was leaked to the media.

In the letter, Binken said the US has prepared a revised proposal for a 90-day reduction-in-violence which aimed to prevent a spring offensive by the Taliban and to promote diplomatic efforts to support a political settlement between the parties.

During the spring offensive, Taliban renew their attacks after a lull during the harsh winters. However, Russia, China, and Pakistan called on the Taliban to give up the spring offensive this year.