U.S. Troops to Withdraw from Afghanistan
The Claim
American troops will fully withdraw from Afghanistan.
News posted on
Emerging story
On April 14, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden posted on Twitter, “This afternoon, I’m announcing the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and providing an update on the path forward. Watch live.”
With the post, he included a link to a broadcasted video that received more than 278.4K views.
In the video, Biden states that he wants to "end America’s longest war” when discussing his view on handling the affairs in Afghanistan. He further declares that it is time for U.S. and NATO trips to return home.
Responses to this claim have been predominately positive with a few hesitant remarks.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that Biden made a promise during his campaign to make efforts to end the war in Afghanistan during his term.
As of April 2021, he has begun to take measures towards this initiative. Biden’s effort comes as a continuation of a promise made by former President Donald Trump to make similar strides by the end of his term.
However, critics claim that ending this war may be troublesome for the U.S. In response to the news, Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated the plan was a “grave mistake” as he believed there was still more the U.S. needed to do in Afghanistan. In addition, Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air, remarked during a show that a “civil war could flare up” and the “Taliban could take over" when the troops depart.
Despite the criticism, Biden’s plan will take effect on May 1, and the goal is to complete the effort by September 11, 2021.
