US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Sunday, March 21. The Pentagon said in a statement that it was “within six weeks of the decision to end the withdrawal of US troops from the country.” Taliban.

Days after Joe Biden thought he would be, he spoke with President Ashraf Ghani “Difficult” To withdraw all American troops^Is Insurgents have warned Washington against delaying May. The Afghan government wants to deploy US troops as long as possible because of the vital air cover.

Following talks with Mr Ghani, Austin did not comment on the expiration date of the agreement reached with the Taliban last year. “This is my boss’ domain”, “It’s not (…) Decision of the President [Biden] It will take his time. “, He confined himself to tell the media on the subject.

In 2020, a contract expired

The United States concluded a historic agreement with the Taliban in Qatar in February 2020, which stipulates the withdrawal of all US troops by 1^Is Instead of a security guarantee, unprecedented direct talks between the rebels and the authorities began in Kabul next May.

The inter-Afghan talks, which began in Doha in September, have stalled, especially as fighting intensifies in rural areas. The Biden government has said the Taliban have not kept its commitment to maintaining permanent ties with jihadi groups such as Al Qaeda.

There are only 2,500 U.S. troops left in Afghanistan, and the United States intervened in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on their soil.