Biden administration considering 6-month extension for US troops in Afghanistan

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.

Posted 11:12 p.m. Mar 18, 2021 — Updated 11:12 p.m. Mar 18, 2021

Barbara Starr

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Kevin Liptak, CNN

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."

Biden has some domestic political cover -- some members in Congress are worried about a full drawdown. And the President has been sharply critical of the details that Trump administration negotiated.

"I'm in the process of making that decision now as to when they'll leave. The fact is, that was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the President -- the former President -- worked out. So, we're in consultation with our allies as well as the government, and that decision's -- it's in process now," Biden told ABC.

A report from an influential Afghanistan study group co-chaired by former Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford recommended a more flexible timeline based on conditions such as reduced violence.

One critical problem is the current agreement with the Taliban does not acknowledge potentially hundreds of US special operations forces in the country that are not part of the current group of 2,500 US troops there. If they stay to help with counter-terrorism missions beyond a drawdown, the US may have to broadly acknowledge that presence.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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