Crisis in Afghanistan: Biden holds deadline for rescue mission

The US evacuation mission in Afghanistan is due to end in less than a week. President Biden justifies this with the security of the troops. But behind the time limit there is also domestic political pressure.

US President Joe Biden emphasized that everything is geared towards finally withdrawing from Afghanistan on August 31. At a video conference, he opposed the call by member states of the G7 and NATO to extend the time for evacuations from the country. “Every additional day brings additional risks for our troops,” said Biden – and he does not want to take them.

A disaster for Biden’s government

The chaotic withdrawal and the virtually non-fighting takeover of power by the Taliban are already a disaster for Biden’s government. The fact that state-of-the-art weapons fell into the hands of the Taliban has made the public impact even worse.

And the discussion about how and by when you can get Americans and Afghan local staff to safety makes the dependence on the Taliban abundantly clear. “The Taliban have taken steps to help us get our people out. But it is a tense situation,” said Biden, which brings new risks to the government every day.

Worry about terrorist attacks

In addition, Biden cites the concern that there could be terrorist attacks – especially by an Afghan offshoot of the terrorist militia “Islamic State”, which is itself an enemy of the Taliban. “The longer we stay, the greater the risk of attack by a group called ‘IS-K’,” said Biden.

The only concession to the demand for more time: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense should develop alternative timetables so that they are available when they are needed.

Pressure from the issue of immigration

How much President Biden fears the domestic political pressure that arises from this messy situation is made clear by one element of his statement:

Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or legal resident will be vetted carefully.

Unregulated immigration is an Achilles’ heel of the first few months in government. There is a danger here that the political opponent will link this to the Afghanistan withdrawal – and that only a year before the congressional elections.