Biden Says ‘Time To End' US War In Afghanistan With Total Pullout

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) - President Joe Biden announced Wednesday it’s ‘’time to end’’ America’s longest war with the unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, where they have spent two decades in a bloody, increasingly futile battle against the Taliban.

Dubbed the ‘’forever war,’’ the US military onslaught in Afghanistan began in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States.

Now, 20 years later -- after almost 2,400 US military and tens of thousands of Afghan deaths -- Biden named September 11 as the deadline by which the last US soldiers will have finally departed. The pullout will begin on May 1.

In a nationally televised address, Biden said the United States had accomplished its limited original mission of crushing the international jihadist groups behind the 9/11 attacks and that with every passing year the rationale for staying was more ‘’unclear.’’

Biden insisted there would be no ‘’hasty exit,’’ but was adamant about his decision.