Biden insists U.S. will withdraw from Afghanistan on Aug. 31

Sharply divided leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies clashed Tuesday over U.S. President Joe Biden’s insistence on withdrawing from Afghanistan by Aug. 31 in the face of the Taliban takeover of the country.

In a partial show of unity, G7 leaders agreed on conditions for recognizing and dealing with a future Taliban-led Afghan government, but there was palpable disappointment Biden could not be persuaded to extend the U.S. operation at the Kabul airport to ensure that tens of thousands of Americans, Europeans, other third-country nationals and all at-risk Afghans can be evacuated.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the virtual meeting with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the talks did not lead to an extension of the Aug. 31 deadline for evacuations from Kabul.

“The conference has not resulted in new dates [on the end of the evacuation mission],” Merkel told reporters.

The meeting served not only as a bookend to the West’s 20-year involvement in Afghanistan that began as a response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks but also a resigned acknowledgment from European powers that the U.S. calls the shots.

“Our immediate priority is to ensure the safe evacuation of our citizens and those Afghans who have partnered with us and assisted our efforts over the past 20 years, and to ensure continuing safe passage out of Afghanistan,” the leaders said in a joint statement that did not address precisely how they would guarantee continuing safe passage without any military presence.

Going forward, the leaders said they would “judge the Afghan parties by their actions, not words,” echoing previous warnings to the Taliban not to revert to the strict Islamic form of government that they ran when they last held power from 1996 until the U.S.-led invasion that ousted them in 2001.