Washington: The US military could slow down his withdrawal from Afghanistan because of the gains made by the Taliban insurgents, the Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, said Monday.
Kirby pointed out that the deadline of President Joe Biden with a complete withdrawal from September remains in place, but adds that the pace could be adjusted according to the conditions.
“The situation in Afghanistan changes while the Taliban continue to carry out these attacks and district centers raid, as well as violence, which is still too high,” he told reporters.
“If changes must be made to the rhythm, or at the scope and scale of the retrograde, at a given day or a given week, we want to maintain the flexibility to do it,” he said.
“We are constantly examining that, every day: what is the situation on the ground, what capacities do we have, what additional resources do we need to get out of Afghanistan and their rhythm.” “All these decisions are literally realized in real time,” he added.
Pentagon officials announced last week that the withdrawal, commissioned by Biden in April after almost two decades, al-Qaeda fighter and helping government forces fight the Taliban, is half completed.
At the time of biden order, about 2,500 US troops and 16,000 entrepreneurs, mainly American citizens, were in the country. The Pentagon has already delivered several of its key foundations to government security forces and has removed hundreds of cargo equipment charges.
Kirby said US forces continue to support Afghan troops in the fight against the Taliban.
“As long as we have the ability in Afghanistan, we will continue to provide assistance to Afghan forces,” he said. “But as the retrograde is getting closer to completion, these capabilities will decrease and will no longer be available.”
