Foreign Policy

Stand Together Trust’s Will Ruger on reports of September Afghanistan troop withdrawal

April 13, 2021

ARLINGTON, Va.— Following reports that President Biden plans to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, breaking the May 1 deadline set forth in the Doha agreement made last year, Dr. William Ruger, Afghanistan War veteran and vice president of research and policy at Stand Together Trust, issued the following statement:

“There is much to be hopeful about in these reports. After nearly 20 years, it is past time we bring our troops home from Afghanistan. A speedy and full withdrawal from the country is what the American people want and what best serves American interests. While holding to the deadline in the Doha agreement would be ideal, we are pleased to see progress being made to end America’s longest ever war. It is unnecessary for our troops to remain in country, and President Biden must resist any pressure to delay or prolong our entanglement there.”

BACKGROUND: 

Dr. Ruger, who was President Trump’s nominee to be Ambassador to Afghanistan, recently penned an editorial for the New York Times, “Why President Biden Must Withdraw From Afghanistan,” in which he outlines how breaking our agreement with the Taliban will endanger American troops and entrench them in an unwinnable war.