At his first presser since taking office, President Biden was asked about his plans for Afghanistan. He said he would be meeting with our allies in Europe to discuss it. Many of them have counseled against a “premature” withdrawal.
“It is not my intention to stay there for a long time,” Biden said, “but the question is how and under what circumstances.” He added that we weren’t staying there a long time. Asked whether there would be troops there after the end of this year, he responded, “I can’t picture that being the case.”
I suppose if I had a follow-up, I would ask whether he is in talks with the Taliban as their ceasefire is tied to our agreement to withdraw by May 1. If the Taliban ends its ceasefire with us after that date, Biden faces the ugly prospect of staying longer than he expected — partially being on the Taliban’s timetable — or of pulling out while American troops are under fire, a further humiliation.
At some point, someone has to explain what the purpose of staying longer is. Is it to extract some new concession from the Taliban in peace talks? Is it to give the Afghan Army just a tiny bit more training? What is it?