Ghani discusses troop withdrawal decision with Biden

President Ashraf Ghani said he discussed the troops withdrawal decision with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday evening and “respects” Washington’s decision.

This comes after US officials announced on Tuesday that Biden has decided to withdraw all American troops by September 11 – the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

Ghani said in a series of tweets on Wednesday night that he had discussed the situation with Biden in a phone conversation.
“Tonight, I had a call with President Biden in which we discussed the U.S. decision to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by early September.

“The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan respects the U.S. decision and we will work with our U.S. partners to ensure a smooth transition,” Ghani said.

He also stated that as Afghanistan moves “into the next phase in our partnership, we will continue to work with our US/NATO partners in the ongoing peace efforts.”

Ghani said: “Afghanistan’s proud security and defense forces are fully capable of defending its people and country, which they have been doing all along, and for which the Afghan nation will forever remain grateful.”