(CNN)The Biden administration is considering a six-month extension for American troops in Afghanistan, just weeks before the May 1 deadline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban to withdraw all US forces from the country, according to a defense official.
No final decision has been made, the official emphasized.
NBC News first reported that a six-month extension is under consideration. The official noted that the US will want to get the Taliban to agree to the extension.
Other options are still on the table, including a full withdrawal by May 1, but a sign of President Joe Biden's current thinking came this week when he told ABC News he didn't think it would "take a lot longer," and said a full withdrawal by May 1 "could happen, but it is tough."
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Update #1: Biden weighs keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan until November (NBC)
Update #2: Biden Mulling Keeping US Troops in Afghanistan Until November - Report (Sputnik)
WNU Editor: Someone better tell the Taliban on what the US President is thinking .... Taliban expect US withdrawal, vow to restore Islamic rule (AP). More here .... Afghanistan on brink of total carnage as Taliban threatens all-out war if Biden doesn’t withdraw troops by May 1 (The SUN)
