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Biden assures Afghan president of continued U.S. support -White House

US Materials 24 July 2021 04:38 (UTC +04:00)
Biden assures Afghan president of continued U.S. support -White House

With the last U.S. forces on the way out of Afghanistan, U.S. President Joe Biden assured President Ashraf Ghani of U.S. diplomatic and humanitarian support on Friday as Taliban advances piled pressure on the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, Trend reports citing Reuters.

In a phone call, Biden and Ghani "agreed that the Taliban’s current offensive is in direct contradiction to the movement’s claim to support a negotiated settlement of the conflict," a White House statement said.

Biden has set a formal end to the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan for Aug. 31 as he looks to disengage from a conflict that started after al Qaeda attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

Violence has risen sharply since the withdrawal plan was announced in April, with the Taliban launching offensives, taking districts and important border crossings, and encircling or closing in on several provincial capitals.

The Taliban control about half of Afghanistan's district centers, the senior U.S. general said this week, indicating a rapidly deteriorating security situation.

Biden told Ghani the United States would remain engaged diplomatically "in support of a durable and just political settlement," the White House said.

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