Ghani Tells Blinken Afghanistan Respects US' Decision On Troop Withdrawal - Kabul

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting on Thursday that Kabul respects Washington's decision on the withdrawal of troops and will work together with the US to cooperate in the transition process, the Afghan Presidential Palace said

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th April, 2021) Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting on Thursday that Kabul respects Washington's decision on the withdrawal of troops and will work together with the US to cooperate in the transition process, the Afghan Presidential Palace said.

"Emphasized the common struggle of all countries against terrorism, the President said that we respect the decision of the United States to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and that the Government of Afghanistan will work to cooperate in the transition process," the palace wrote in a statement.

Ghani also told Blinken that Afghan forces are capable of "defending their homeland" on their own.

According to the Afghan 1TV broadcaster, Blinken told Ghani that the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan does not mean a decline in strategic relations between Washington and Kabul.

US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the US troops pullout from Afghanistan would be completed by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.