Joe Biden decides to withdraw US troops from Kabul by Aug 31

According to the Associated Press, Joe Biden decided not to extend the deadline for completing the US-led evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies from Afghanistan beyond August 31. The decision was made after consultation with Biden’s national security team.

Meanwhile, the Taliban are asking women workers to stay home ‘until security improves’ in the country, according to AFP. According to Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, the United States should complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31 – the date created by the Biden administration for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops.

Read more: ‘Evacuation plane hijacked, taken to Iran’; Countries deny report

Meanwhile, CIA Director William J Burns met with the Taliban’s de facto leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday in the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the two sides since the militant group seized the Afghan capital. Following the meeting, the UN human rights chief issued a warning about credible reports of ‘summary executions’ and restrictions on women in areas under Taliban control.