The United States does not rule out that it will increase the number of troops in Afghanistan before withdrawing them from the region. This was stated on April 16 by Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby at a briefing broadcast on the website of the US Defense Department.
"I cannot speak specifically now, as plans are still being developed, but it is possible that within a short period of time, auxiliary forces will be sent to Afghanistan in order to ensure a safe, orderly and planned withdrawal of all by the deadline set by the president — early September," he said.
Two days earlier, US President Joe Biden announced that the United States would begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan on May 1. At the same time, it was previously assumed that by this date, American soldiers would already leave the country in full force. The official deadline for completing the withdrawal of the US contingent of 2.5 thousand troops is September 11 of this year.
NATO said that it is also going to withdraw its military contingent from Afghanistan. As stressed in the North Atlantic Alliance, the completion of the mission takes place against the background of the resumption of the political process of resolving the situation in the region.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that he respects the intention of the United States, and expressed readiness to work with American partners "to ensure a smooth transition."
Last February, at a ceremony in Qatar, the United States and the radical Taliban movement, banned in Russia, signed the first peace agreement in more than 18 years of war.
The Taliban has given a guarantee that they will not use the territory of Afghanistan for actions that pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies.
