President Biden sent CIA Director William J. Burns to meet with Taliban top leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul Monday ahead of the approaching end-of-month deadline for full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The meeting was the highest face-to-face encounter between U.S. and Taliban leaders since the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month. The Washington Post first reported the meeting.
The CIA did not comment on the meeting, which was confirmed by two U.S. officials, but the withdrawal deadline was likely discussed, according to The Post.
The White House is under pressure to fully withdraw U.S. troops from the country by the end of the month, originally a self-imposed deadline. The Taliban have begun threatening violence if the U.S. remains in Afghanistan beyond Aug. 31.
The deadline has drawn compounding criticism by lawmakers and others in Washington, who argue that the deadline is arbitrary and untenable amid the chaotic evacuation efforts that began Aug. 14 when the Taliban seized the country.
“An arbitrary deadline is not what guides us,” said Rep. Salud Carbajal, California Democrat and member of the bipartisan Caucus for Country at a press conference Monday.
“What guides what we do here is where we are able to accomplish the mission of getting everybody out of there safely. So today, I tell you, we as the United States need to honor our word, and make sure that we help get those people out, along with Americans,” he said.
The White House reported Monday that the U.S. has evacuated more than 48,000 individuals since mid-August including U.S. citizens and Afghan refugees.
Some lawmakers worry that the administration does not have a grasp of how many Americans remain in-country, but say the U.S. must remain until all citizens and allies are evacuated.
Mr. Biden is expected to announce his decision on whether to extend the deadline Tuesday.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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