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President Joe Biden hopes to complete the withdrawal of all US troops that remain deployed in Afghanistan on a date full of symbolism, next September 11, when it marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks by Al Qaeda.
The Democrat has decided to extend the military presence beyond May 1 - the deadline that his predecessor in the White House, Republican Donald Trump, had agreed with the Taliban - despite threats of attacks from this radical Islamic group.
The measure, which was advanced by
The Washington Post
this Tuesday morning and later confirmed by government sources to other local media, will be formally announced this Wednesday.
The war in Afghanistan very soon became a spider's web for the United States, the greatest exponent of those endless war campaigns that the world's leading power has easier to begin than to end.
It was launched by Republican President George W. Bush on October 7, 2001, with the wounds from the attacks in New York and Washington still bleeding, accusing the Taliban of serving as a hideout for Osama Bin Laden and other leaders linked to the massacre.
Barack Obama set 2011 as the date of the return of the troops, but the instability of the country and the terrorist threat have tied them to the territory until now.
Now, after almost two decades, and with more than 2,000 US soldiers killed behind its back, Washington is looking for a way to turn the page, with great difficulty.
The Afghan government stated a month ago its rejection of Biden's plan to speed up the peace process.
The head of US Diplomacy, Anthony Blinken, suggested in a letter to President Ashraf Ghani sharing power with the Taliban on a temporary basis and involving neighboring countries in the process.
At the time, the US was still considering the possibility of meeting May 1 as the final withdrawal date.
The official number of soldiers deployed in Afghanistan, almost two decades after the beginning of the conflict, stands at 2,500 troops, although the number is variable and right now it is estimated that there are more than 3,000, in addition to the 7,000 soldiers of the coalition of allies, above all, NATO.
