Biden running out of time to make decision on future of US mission in Afghanistan as situation worsens – By Oren Liebermann and Barbara Starr (CNN) / Mar 12 2021
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Washington (CNN) With 50 days until the United States is supposed to complete a total withdrawal of troops and personnel from Afghanistan — a move that a Pentagon report stated could be devastating to “the survival of the Afghan state as we know it” — the Biden administration is running out of time to decide on a way forward in a country reeling amid an upsurge in violence, endemic corruption, and a floundering economy.
Since 9/11, the United States has poured $864 billion and 2,400 lives into Afghanistan in pursuit of a noble idea: turning one of the poorest, most dangerous countries in the world into a self-sufficient democratic state led by a strong, stable Afghan government that cannot be used as a staging ground to plan and launch terrorist attacks against other states.
But those goals have seldom been more out of reach, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko said following the release of his latest report on the greatest risks to the US efforts in the country.
“A corrupt, narcotic fueled Afghan state will never be a reliable partner able to protect itself or the interests of the United States and other donors,” Sopko said bluntly Wednesday, presenting his report to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The single goal of the Afghan government right now is “survival,” Sopko said.
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