President Joe Biden will stick, for now, with an August 31 deadline to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, according to a senior administration official, after determining the risks of Taliban reprisal or terror attacks were too high.
Biden relayed his decision in crisis talks of the Group of 7 on Tuesday morning, making clear the decision to stick to the withdrawal timeline was in large part driven by those security risks.
US and western officials familiar with the discussion said Biden noted that each day the risks are getting higher in a country now controlled by the Taliban. The President made a particular point of warning of the potential for terror attacks, which has become an acute concern inside his administration, the officials said.
Still, Biden has asked for contingency plans in case he determines at a later date the US needs to remain in the country for longer. And on the G7 video conference, he left open the possibility of extending past the end-of-month deadline should the dynamic with the Taliban change.
