By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL (TURKISH JOURNAL) – U.S. President Joe Biden is under intense pressure and under fire from America’s major allies to extend his August 31 deadline to evacuate everyone who needs to get out of Afghanistan. Biden, who spoke to a G7 virtual summit on Tuesday, about the crisis in Afghanistan told leaders in attendance that he intends to stick to his deadline. Meanwhile, allies, the UK, France and other nations demanded Biden extend past August 31 to ensure evacuation flights are complete. Both The Washington Post and NBC News reports reveal that CIA Director William Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul on Monday with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar. The alleged meeting according to the Washington Post was about the fast-approaching deadline and while the CIA hasn’t commented on the meeting – speculation is at an all time high.
The Taliban have threatened serious consequences to the Biden administration if the deadline were extended and Republican members of Congress have slammed Biden’s decision and have threatened not to work on other legislation until all Americans are out of Afghanistan while Democrats continue to support the president’s decision.
Currently, it is unclear whether Burns was able to achieve any headway in his meeting but the Taliban reiterated that keeping U.S. troops in the country past the deadline would definitely cross what they termed a “red line.” According to a CNN report, top allies are planning to pressure Biden to extend the evacuation date when he meets to make his final decision on Tuesday, according to an NBC News report. On Sunday, the U.S. president commented: “Our hope is we will not have to extend.” Biden added: “But there are going to be discussions, I suspect, on, how far along we are in the process.”
