US President Joe Biden has said that Afghans “are visiting should decide their future” as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani visited the White House. Mr. Biden promised continued support for the country, while US and Nato troops are set to complete their withdrawal on 11 September. It comes after Islamist Taliban fighters captured dozens of districts during a recent offensive. Earlier in the week, the UN expressed alarm at their gains. The meeting came the day after the US announced plans to evacuate thousands of Afghans who worked for the US military previous the withdrawal. Many fear reprisals from the Taliban. US and Nato officials have recently said that the Taliban has thus far did not live up to commitments to cut back violence in Afghanistan. Speaking within the Oval Office on Friday, Mr. Biden said the partnership between the US and Afghanistan would continue. “Our troops could also be leaving, but support for Afghanistan isn’t ending,” he said. But he stressed that it had been up to Afghans to choose “what they want”, adding: “The senseless violence, it’s to prevent. It’s visiting be very difficult.” Mr. Ghani meanwhile said that he supported Joe Biden’s “historic” decision to withdraw US troops, saying he was there to “respect it and support it”. He also announced that Afghan security forces had recaptured six districts, reversing some recent Taliban gains. “You will see that unfalteringly, with unity and with the partnership, we’ll overcome all odds,” he said. The Afghan president – amid Abdullah Abdullah, government chief executive – met members of Congress, the CIA, and also the US defense secretary on his two-day trip to the US capital.
Australia - Egypt