The sooner it is over, the better: Biden on Afghanistan

Desk report: US President Joe Biden is adamant in his decision to complete the evacuation from Kabul by the August 31 deadline. “The sooner we finish, the better,” he said after a virtual meeting with leaders of the G-7 alliance of world powers on Tuesday. Allied powers such as the United Kingdom and the European Union wanted the withdrawal deadline extended. And the United States is in talks with the Taliban to address the issue. The European Union has said it will impose economic sanctions on the Taliban. However, US President Joe Biden said he would complete the repatriation by August 31. “The Taliban are also helping to evacuate people,” Biden said after the G7 summit. The international community can judge the Taliban by their actions. The work of bringing people from the airport has to be completed quickly. Because the threat of an Islamic State attack in Afghanistan is growing. The longer the United States stays in the country, the more the threat of an attack becomes more pronounced. ‘ Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union, convened an emergency meeting of the G7 on Tuesday to discuss Afghanistan. The presidents and prime ministers of these countries joined in the virtual discussion. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who chaired the talks, said his country, the United Kingdom, would continue to work until the last minute to evacuate people from Kabul. He called on the Taliban to give the Afghans a chance to leave the country even after the deadline. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We have a moral obligation to assist the Afghan people as much as possible. On the other hand, the Taliban said yesterday that they would not allow the August 31 deadline to pass. Their comments, even then, mean that the foreign military presence in Afghanistan means extending the occupation period. Jabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the militant group, warned that the outcome would not be good. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on August 15, 60,700 people have been repatriated. Among them are soldiers, diplomats and Afghans from different countries. Many Afghans have been flocking to Kabul airport to flee the country since the Taliban returned to power. Most of them were involved in two decades of war with foreign forces, including the United States. As of Wednesday, there were about 6,000 US and more than 1,000 British troops guarding Kabul airport. In addition, some troops from NATO member countries, including France, Germany and Turkey, are still in Kabul.