{"id":61247,"date":"2021-05-23T17:16:25","date_gmt":"2021-05-23T17:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/23\/much-about-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-is-unclear\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:28:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:28:54","slug":"much-about-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-is-unclear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/05\/23\/much-about-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-is-unclear\/","title":{"rendered":"Explainer: Much about US withdrawal from Afghanistan is unclear"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 When he pulled the plug on the American war in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said the reasons for staying, 10 years after the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, had become \u201cincreasingly unclear.\u201d Now that a final departure is in sight, questions about clarity have shifted to Biden\u2019s post-withdrawal plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What would the United States do, for example, if the Taliban took advantage of the U.S. military departure by seizing power? And, can the United States and the international community, through diplomacy and financial aid alone, prevent a worsening of the instability in Afghanistan that kept American and coalition troops there for two decades?<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/02\/top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21121128137856.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Top US general: Afghan forces could face \u2018bad possible outcomes\u2019<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Gen. Mark Milley declined to say whether Afghanistan&#039;s security forces are fully ready to stand up to the Taliban without direct international backing during a potential Taliban offensive.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Biden administration acknowledges that a full U.S. troop withdrawal is not without risks, but it argues that waiting for a better time to end U.S. involvement in the war is a recipe for never leaving, while extremist threats fester elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal, and expecting a different result,\u201d Biden said April 14 in announcing that \u201cit\u2019s time to end America\u2019s longest war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A look at some of the unanswered questions about Biden\u2019s approach to the withdrawal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6280919.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Civilian contractors prepare to load a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle on to a flatbed trailer during the retrograde cargo operation on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, July 12, 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-59155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6280919.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6280919.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6280919.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6280919.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6280919.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Civilian contractors prepare to load a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle on to a flatbed trailer during the retrograde cargo operation on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, July 12, 2020. (Sgt. 1st Class Core Vandiver\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE TROOPS ARE GONE?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Predictions range from the disastrous to the merely difficult. Officials don\u2019t rule out an intensified civil war that creates a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan which could spill over to other Central Asian nations, including nuclear-armed Pakistan. A more hopeful scenario is that the Kabul government makes peace with the Taliban insurgents.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/03\/14\/afghan-official-says-security-forces-can-hold-their-own-against-taliban-if-us-troops-withdraw\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21072510531876.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Afghan official says security forces can hold their own against Taliban if US troops withdraw<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Afghanistan\u2019s interior minister said Saturday that Afghan security forces can hold their ground even if U.S. troops withdraw, challenging a warning from the United States predicting a withdrawal would yield quick territorial gains to the Taliban.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a Senate hearing Thursday, a senior Pentagon policy official, David Helvey, was asked how he could remain optimistic when, in just the first few weeks of the U.S. withdrawal, hundreds of Afghans were killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that I\u2019m optimistic,\u201d Helvey replied, adding that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/\" target=\"_blank\">a peace agreement is still possible<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1390\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19301245984679.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Afghan national army\" class=\"wp-image-66185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19301245984679.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19301245984679.jpg.jpg?resize=300,209 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19301245984679.jpg.jpg?resize=768,534 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19301245984679.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,712 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19301245984679.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1068 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A national army forces stands guard during the graduation ceremony of newly Afghan National Army soldiers after a three month training program at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 28, 2019. (Rahmat Gul\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>HOW WILL AFGHAN FORCES HOLD UP?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The administration says it will urge Congress to continue authorizing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/03\/16\/afghan-security-forces-still-need-us-help-to-stand-on-their-own-watchdog-warns\/\" target=\"_blank\">billions of dollars in aid to the Afghan military and police<\/a>, and the Pentagon says it is working on ways to provide aircraft maintenance support and advice from afar. Much of that work had been done by U.S. contractors, who are departing along with U.S. troops. The U.S. military also might offer to fly some Afghan security forces to a third country for training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But none of those things \u2014 the training, the advising or the financial backing \u2014 are assured.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/19\/top-us-general-in-the-mideast-to-recommend-post-withdrawal-plan-for-afghanistan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21112767330689.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Top US general in the Mideast to recommend post-withdrawal plan for Afghanistan<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said negotiations with Afghanistan&#039;s neighbors for overflight rights and troop basing are \u201cmoving forward\u201d but will take time.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also unclear is whether the U.S. will provide air power in support of Afghan ground forces from bases outside the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Afghan air force is central to the ongoing conflict, yet it remains dependent on U.S. contractors and technology. The Afghans, for example, have drones but not the kind that are armed, making them less effective in battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4928\" height=\"3280\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1204647996.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Afghan Taliban militants\" class=\"wp-image-52340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1204647996.jpg.jpg 4928w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1204647996.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1204647996.jpg.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1204647996.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1204647996.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1022 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1204647996.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1363 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4928px) 100vw, 4928px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Afghan Taliban militants and villagers attend a gathering as they celebrate the peace deal in Afghanistan&#8217;s Alingar district of Laghman Province on March 2, 2020. (Noorullah Shirzada\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>WILL THE TALIBAN ENLIST OR ASSIST AL-QAIDA?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a February 2020 agreement with the Trump administration, the Taliban pledged to disavow al-Qaida, but that promise is yet to be tested. This is important in light of the Taliban\u2019s willingness during their years in power in the 1990s to provide haven for bin Laden and his al-Qaida colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph J. Collins, a retired Army colonel who has studied the U.S. war in Afghanistan since it began, notes that as recently as two years ago the Pentagon was alerting Congress to enduring links between al-Qaida and the Taliban. In a June 2019 report, the Pentagon said al-Qaida and its Pakistan-based affiliate, al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, \u201croutinely support, train, work, and operate with Taliban fighters and commanders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collins is skeptical that the Taliban have genuinely renounced ties to al-Qaida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t think that leopard has changed its spots at all,\u201d he said in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this month, the U.S. government watchdog for Afghanistan reported to Congress that al-Qaida relies on the Taliban for protection. The report, citing information provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency in April, said, \u201cthe two groups have reinforced ties over the past decades, likely making it difficult for an organizational split to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1394\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464220767.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464220767.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464220767.jpg.jpg?resize=300,209 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464220767.jpg.jpg?resize=768,535 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464220767.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,714 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464220767.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1071 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This June 10, 2017, file photo shows an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter providing security from above while CH-47 Chinooks drop off supplies to U.S. soldiers with Task Force Iron at Bost Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Justin T. Updegraff\/Operation Resolute Support via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>WHAT BECOMES OF U.S. COUNTERTERRORIST EFFORTS?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon says that all U.S. special operations forces will leave no later than Sept. 11. That will make counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan, including the collecting of intelligence on al-Qaida and other extremist groups, more difficult but not impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The administration\u2019s answer to this problem is to continue the fight from \u201cover the horizon.\u201d This is a concept familiar to the military, whose geographic reach has expanded with the advent of armed drones and other technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/05\/12\/dod-stays-mum-on-regional-troop-presence-plans-after-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/297215.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">DoD stays mum on regional troop presence plans after Afghanistan withdrawal<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Military officials say they will be able to respond to terrorism threats in Afghanistan even without troops on the ground there, but details are scarce.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But will it work? The administration has yet to make any basing or access agreements with countries bordering Afghanistan, such as Uzbekistan. So it might have to rely, at least at the start, on forces positioned in and around the Persian Gulf, meaning response times will be much longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1318\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464319620.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-98877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464319620.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464319620.jpg.jpg?resize=300,198 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464319620.jpg.jpg?resize=768,506 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464319620.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,675 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21142464319620.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1012 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this April 15, 2021, file photo Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, right, meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second left, and their delegations, at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Afghan Presidential Palace via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>WHAT ABOUT DIPLOMACY?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The administration says it will retain a U.S. Embassy presence, but that will become more difficult if the military\u2019s departure leads to a collapse of Afghan governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters this past week that securing access to the Kabul international airport will be key to enabling the United States and other nations to maintain embassies. He said the U.S. and NATO allies are considering an international effort to secure that airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A related problem is the fate of Afghan civilians who might be targeted by the Taliban or other groups for aiding the U.S. war effort. Interpreters and others who worked for the U.S. government or NATO can get what is known as a special immigrant visa, or SIV, but the application process can take years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Washington\u2019s special envoy to Afghanistan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/05\/18\/fear-of-taliban-conquering-kabul-are-overblown-says-us-envoy-to-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\">Zalmay Khalilzad<\/a>, has told Congress the administration wants to protect those civilians, but that it is trying to avoid the panic that might erupt if it appeared the United States was encouraging \u201cthe departure of all educated Afghans\u201d in a way that undermined the morale of Afghan security forces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biden administration acknowledges that a full troop withdrawal is not without risks, but it argues waiting for a better time is a recipe for never leaving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":98871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,13,24,89,16,26,65,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2444],"class_list":["post-61247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"FDRTBHAI6FGQ5M2TDG46FV7JJA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/05\/23\/much-about-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-is-unclear\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Explainer: Much about US withdrawal from Afghanistan is unclear - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Biden administration acknowledges that a full troop withdrawal is not without risks, but it argues waiting for a better time is a recipe for never leaving.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Explainer: Much about US withdrawal from Afghanistan is unclear\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Biden administration acknowledges that a full troop withdrawal is not without risks, but it argues waiting for a better time is a recipe for 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