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The process of pulling U.S. troops out of Afghanistan has begun. U.S. military officials said earlier this week that the withdraw was two to six percent complete. Last month, President Joe Biden announced that almost all American service men and women would leave the Asian country this year. It's a controversial decision.
The conflict there started in late 2001 and it's become the longest war America's ever been involved in. But despite the continued presence of thousands of U.S. and coalition troops, Afghanistan is not a stable country. It's former rulers, a Muslim fundamentalist group named the Taliban, are still a powerful and violent force.
They continue to launch attacks against Afghan government troops. Some U.S. military officials say the Afghan government could fall apart if coalition forces aren't there to help it. But President Biden says the U.S. mission was to make sure Afghanistan would no longer be used as a base for terrorists as it was for the September 11th, 2001 attacks and that that mission has been accomplished.
He also says it no longer makes sense for thousands of U.S. troops to be concentrated in that one country, but the top U.S. general says the withdraw brings the potential for bad possible outcomes in Afghanistan. Critics of the pullout say it could mean civil war.
Another concern they have involves women's rights. Those didn't exist under the Taliban. They could vanish again if the Afghan government collapses.
U.S. Secretary of State Tony Bliken says the Taliban won't gain acceptance by other countries if they don't respect the rights of women and girls.
U.S. intelligence officials say international acceptance probably isn't a Taliban priority. American troops are scheduled to leave the Asian country by September 11th, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the U.S.
