As of: 26.06.2021 3:01 a.m.
US President Biden has promised his Afghan counterpart Ghani support after the troop withdrawal at a meeting in the Oval Office. Ghani spoke of a “new phase” in the partnership between the two countries.
At a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the White House, US President Joe Biden pledged his support even after the US troops withdrew. “The Afghans have to decide about their future, about what they want,” said Biden, adding that “senseless violence” must stop.
Ghani said in the Oval Office that he respected Biden’s decision and that the partnership between the United States and Afghanistan was entering a new phase. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Afghan President said the US decision to withdraw troops was a sovereign decision and it was Kabul’s job to deal with the consequences.
Experts: the meeting sends a “strong signal”
Ronald Neumann, a former US ambassador in Kabul, described the meeting as a strong sign that the US supports Afghanistan. Biden had asked Congress to approve $ 3.3 billion in security aid in Afghanistan next year and will also send three million doses of vaccine to the country to help it fight the coronavirus.
US House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi welcomed the leadership meeting and said she looked forward to hearing what more could be done with US humanitarian aid, especially for women and girls.
Ghani’s visit comes at a time when peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the radical Islamic Taliban have stalled. Afghan security forces continue to fight the Taliban, which threatens several provincial capitals. It is feared that the Taliban could come back to power.