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President Joe Biden will meet with his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, at the White House next Friday, in the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since the United States announced that it will withdraw its troops from Afghanistan before September 11.
According to a statement, the visit by Ghani, who will be accompanied by Higher Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Chairman Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah, will highlight “the strong partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues.”
“The United States will maintain a strong commitment to the Government of Afghanistan to ensure that the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups that pose a threat to the American nation,” the White House document states.
On April 14, Biden officially confirmed the decision of the United States to withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon, which led to the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan.
A day after Biden’s announcement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Kabul on a surprise visit to meet with Ghani and Abdullah to discuss the military withdrawal.
The statement insists that “the United States continues to fully support the ongoing peace process and encourages all Afghan parties to participate meaningfully in negotiations to end the conflict.”
The text also stresses that the Government is “committed to supporting the Afghan people by providing diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance to help them, including Afghan women, girls, and minorities.”
