Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Makes Unannounced Visit to Afghanistan
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in New Delhi, India, on Saturday before traveling to Afghanistan.
Photo:
Manish Swarup/Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary
Lloyd Austin
made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Sunday ahead of a coming deadline for President Biden to draw down U.S. troops in America’s longest war.
The Pentagon said Mr. Austin met with Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani
along with U.S. military and diplomatic leaders in the country as part of his visit, the first by a top Biden administration official.
The trip came ahead of a May 1 deadline negotiated by the outgoing Trump administration to withdraw the remaining 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. Mr. Biden said in an interview last week that even if the May deadline is difficult to meet, it wouldn’t be extended much longer.
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