'Very Concerned': Top Senate Dem Says Biden Should Reconsider Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal

While the remaining US troops are slated to depart Afghanistan in May 2021, per the US-Taliban peace deal, the pullout is based on the condition that the Taliban guarantees the country will not fall into extremists' hands. Under US President Donald Trump's presidency, the US reduced its presence in Afghanistan from 14,000 to 2,500 troops.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the new chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters on Tuesday that the May 1 deadline for withdrawing forces definitely needs to be reconsidered, as the Taliban has not fulfilled their side of the agreement. 

"I’m very concerned about the viability of the peace process in Afghanistan," he said, as reported by Reuters. 

Menendez's Tuesday comments appeared to echo sentiments expressed before the March 3 Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on State Department nominations. 

"The Taliban is clearly is not abiding by all of its commitments under the Feb 29th agreement, calling into question the future of Afghan security and governance," the committee chair said. "We need senior-level focused attention from the Department." 

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez waves at reporters before entering the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse for his federal corruption trial, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, in Newark, N.J. Jury deliberations continued on Thursday morning.

© AP Photo / Julio Cortez

The lawmaker's continued opposition to a deadline comes on the heels of Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, confirming a letter penned by Secretary of State Antony Blinken "was handed over to [Afghan President Ashraf] Ghani and myself two days before the visit of [US peace envoy Zalmay] Khalilzad" last week. 

Blinken reportedly told the Afghan president the US is "considering the full withdrawal of forces by May 1st as we consider other options," and also requested a senior-level meeting take place "in the coming weeks."    

Blinken's letter highlighted the US will carry out diplomatic efforts "to move matters more fundamentally and quickly toward a settlement and a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire."  

Many critics of the pullout have asserted that the US-led force must remain in Afghanistan to ensure the Taliban does not make territorial gains in the country. 

When asked about the letter, a State Department spokesperson said Washington has "not made any decisions about our force posture in Afghanistan after May 1. All options remain on the table." 

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also proclaimed to NATO allies in mid-February that the Pentagon would not be making any determinations until the completion of "review of the condition of the US-Taliban Agreement to determine whether all parties have adhered to those conditions."