US to Fully Withdraw From Afghanistan by September 11

United States President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Wednesday a complete withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, thereby postponing the May 1 deadline set by his predecessor Donald Trump early last year during negotiations with the insurgent Taliban group. The symbolic date will mark 20 years to the day since the al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the US, which led to the US invasion of Afghanistan and later Iraq. The removal of the 2,500 remaining US soldiers stationed in Afghanistan has concerned US allies and the Kabul government itself, who have warned that a resurgence of violence is expected once US troops pull out. The official Afghan regime, recognized and supported by Western countries, has over the past year held negotiations with the Taliban in Doha, aimed at cementing a power-sharing agreement. Terror attacks by the Taliban against civilians and government officials have thwarted such hopes, leading the United Nations to convene an international summit on the Afghan problem for later this month in Turkey. Taliban representatives announced earlier this week they will not attend.