Biden to meet with Ghani at WH amid US troop pullout from Afghanistan

Washington DC: President Joe Biden would meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his chief peacemaker Dr Abdullah Abdullah at the White House on Friday for the first face-to-face interaction ahead of the withdrawal of the remaining US and NATO forces from the war-torn country by September 11.

The visit by President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown from Afghanistan continues, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Sunday.

"Biden looks forward to welcoming Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, to the White House on June 25," she said.

The high-level meeting will take place as the Taliban insurgents have in recent weeks captured dozens of new districts in Afghanistan and both sides are said to have suffered heavy casualties.

The escalation in fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban militants have dealt fresh blows to the US-brokered peace negotiations between Kabul and the insurgents.

The US, Psaki said, is committed to providing diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance to support Afghan people, including Afghan women, girls and minorities.

She said the United States will remain deeply engaged with the government of Afghanistan to ensure the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the US homeland.

"The United States continues to fully support the ongoing peace process and encourages all Afghan parties to participate meaningfully in negotiations to bring an end to the conflict," Psaki said.

The US military exit from Afghanistan before September 11 stems from the February 2020 agreement Washington signed with the Taliban in return for counterterrorism guarantees and pledges the group would negotiate a political settlement to the war with the Afghan government.