America is not going to war, but it could look like it. This Saturday, August 14, Joe Biden in fact announced that he was going to send around 5,000 soldiers to Afghanistan, while the country is on the verge of being totally under the control of the Taliban.
Indeed, the armed group is at the gates of Kabul after having obtained a long series of victories in the main cities and provinces. Therefore, in recent days, the capital has been completely surrounded and therefore could also fall rapidly.
But by sending in new troops, the goal of the Americans is not to stop the Taliban offensive to ensure that the central government remains in place. In fact, Joe Biden has explained that after twenty years in Afghanistan, the United States could do no more.
“The United States has invested a billion dollars, trained more than 300,000 Afghan soldiers and police, provided military equipment and maintained its air force in the longest war in American history. An additional year or five of US presence would not have made any difference if the Afghan military is unable or unwilling to retain its country, ”the president wrote in a statement. press release this August 14.
However, the goal is to ensure that the last of the US citizens or allies of Western forces are safely evacuated. Afghans who have assisted US troops should be able to board helicopters and other means of transportation outside of the country.
Joe Biden, however, explained that he had contacted representatives of the Taliban in Doha. “Any action on their part on Afghan soil that endangers US personnel or our mission will have a strong and swift response,” he threatened. A statement that may explain in particular why one of the Taliban spokesmen asked the fighters not to attack Kabul yet. For the moment, the insurgents remain in force at the gates of the city or in certain neighborhoods, but no combat has been recorded. It remains to be seen for how long.