Will September 11 become the new deadline for US to exit Afghanistan?

An unidentified Biden administration official familiar with developments told The Washington Post that the deadline extension, if it happens, will be brief and is likely to end by September 11 this year

September 11 could now become the new deadline for the US and its allies to wrap up operations in Afghanistan - chiefly the evacuation of their citizens and Afghan partners - if American President Joe Biden decides to continue the airlift efforts beyond the stated exit date of August 31.

Families begin to board a US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft during an evacuation operation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 23, 2021. (AFP)

An unidentified Biden administration official familiar with developments told The Washington Post that the deadline extension, if it happens, will be brief and is likely to end by September 11 – which happens to be the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in America that had led to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan back in 2001.

The Taliban on Monday had categorically warned of “consequences” if foreign troops stayed on Afghan soil beyond the August 31 deadline to pull out, saying it would be a violation of their agreement.

Taliban’s stance, however, won’t be a factor if the US government decides to push back the deadline until September 11.

“We are engaging with the Taliban, consulting with the Taliban on every aspect of what’s happening in Kabul right now, on what’s happening at the airport, on how we need to ensure that there is facilitated passage to the airport for American citizens, SIVs (Special Immigration Visas), third-country nationals, and so forth,” said Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser, at a White House news conference when asked if the Taliban group’s nod was needed for the US to extend the deadline.

He added, “We’ll continue those conversations with them. Ultimately, it will be the president’s decision how this proceeds, no one else’s.”

The new deadline is apparently acceptable to close allies of the US such as the UK and France, who plan to press Biden on it at a G7 virtual meeting on Tuesday to be convened by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

British and French officials told The New York Times that a delay of a few days would allow Biden to still get the US out of Afghanistan before September 11.