US President Joe Biden has reportedly decided to stick to the self-imposed deadline of August 31 to wrap up the evacuation process in Afghanistan and eventually pull all troops out of the country, withstanding pressure from G7 allies who had been very publicly asking for more time.
Reports also suggested that the American president’s decision to stick with the current troop withdrawal deadline does not preclude a change in plans later.
Biden has asked the Pentagon to prepare a contingency plan should an extension become necessary.
Biden met virtually on Tuesday morning with G7 leaders and heads of the European Union, the United Nations and Nato to discuss the unfolding situation in Afghanistan.
The G7 meeting on the Afghanistan crisis was attended by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italy’s PM Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, European Council head Charles Michel, UN secretary-general António Guterres, and Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg.