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President Biden plans to remove all American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, a senior defense official confirmed to Fox News.

If that happens, that would mean that all American forces will be out of the country by the 20th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The president will make official remarks on the plans on Wednesday.

The Trump administration had aimed to have all American forces out of Afghanistan, where the Taliban retains significant power, by May 1, if certain conditions in its negotiations with the Taliban were met. But with just more than two weeks until that deadline, it is being pushed back again.

As the 10-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden approaches on May 1st, senior U.S. military leaders have long warned a similar raid would be much more difficult without U.S. military troops based in Afghanistan. The Navy SEAL assault force launched from Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan not far from the border with Pakistan
NAVY CAPTURES FOOTAGE OF PYRAMID-SHAPED UFOS, ORBS
The United States has been aiming to draw down its military presence in the Middle East for years, and it is unclear if there are conditions that could delay the drawdown of American forces from Afghanistan before the Biden administration's target date.

The news was first reported by the Washington Post.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., applauded Biden for withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said doing so is premature.

"I applaud President Biden for achieving an impossibility here in Washington: ending a forever war," Khanna said, even as Biden was technically extending the deadline to withdraw troops. "It is an act of extraordinary political courage and vision. After 20 years, thousands of lives lost, and trillions of dollars spent, we are finally bringing home our troops from Afghanistan."

"Precipitously withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan is a grave mistake. It is a retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished, an abdication of American leadership," McConnell said.

A person familiar with the deliberations told the Washington Post that if the U.S. pushed back its May 1 withdrawal deadline without a clear exit plan by another time "we will be back at war with the Taliban, and that was not something President Biden believed was in the national interest ... We're going to zero troops by September."
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Biden had previously hinted that the U.S. was considering delaying the full withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

"It's going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline," Biden said in late March. "Just in terms of tactical reasons, it's hard to get those troops out."

"And if we leave, we're going to do so in a safe and orderly way," he added.
Fox News' Jason Donner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Biden wants to withdraw all 2,500 US troops from Afghanistan by 9/11: senior defense official

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President Biden plans to remove all American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, a senior defense official confirmed to Fox News. If that happens, that would mean that all American forces will be out of the country by the 20th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

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biden announces troops will leave afghanistan by september 11: 'it's time to end america's longest war' - cnnpolitics

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Biden announces troops will leave Afghanistan by September 11: 'It's time to end America's longest war'

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President Joe Biden formally announced his decision to end America's longest war on Wednesday, deeming the prolonged and intractable conflict in Afghanistan no longer aligned with American priorities.

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why biden is pulling the us -- and nato -- out of afghanistan - cnnpolitics

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Why Biden is pulling the US -- and NATO -- out of Afghanistan

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As President Biden prepares to lay out his plan Wednesday to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan and end America's longest war, a source familiar with his thinking tells me that he thinks no amount of US troops in the country can be a game changer anymore.

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What do you notice about the different headlines? What does the word choice emphasize or leave out? Who do the pictures show first? Who is the subject (doing the action)?

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The alliance's mantra has always been "in together and out together," so with the U.S. leaving, the pullout would not come as a surprise.

NATO forces and Afghan commandos on patrol in 2018 in the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan. Credit... Wakil Kohsar/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

BRUSSELS - Now that the United States has decided to pull its troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, NATO's foreign and defense ministers are meeting to discuss "a safe, deliberate and coordinated withdrawal of our forces from Afghanistan," the American secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, said on Wednesday at the alliance's headquarters.

Ministers from NATO member countries, many of them attending the Wednesday meeting virtually, are expected to formally back the American withdrawal date. The alliance's mantra has always been "in together and out together," so the ministers are expected to confirm that their troops will leave alongside the Americans, though some smaller contingents may leave before.

At the moment, of the 9,600 NATO troops officially in Afghanistan, about 2,500 of them are American, though that number can be as many as 1,000 higher. The second-largest contingent is from Germany, with some 1,300 troops.

"We have achieved the goals we set out to achieve," Mr. Blinken said. "Now it's time to bring our forces home."

In brief remarks, Mr. Blinken limited those goals narrowly to antiterrorism, not mentioning the larger NATO efforts to liberate women, help girls to attend school and shift agriculture away from growing heroin poppies.

After the attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, "Together we went into Afghanistan to deal with those who attacked us and to make sure that Afghanistan would not again become a haven for terrorists who might attack any of us," Mr. Blinken said. Those goals have been achieved, he asserted.

Some current and former American officials agree that Afghanistan is not expected to emerge as a terrorist threat to the United States in the short term, but they say that the question is more difficult to assess in the long run.

Even as the Atlantic alliance withdraws its troops, Mr. Blinken said, "our commitment to Afghanistan and its future will remain."

The German defense minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, referring to NATO, told the German television station ARD on Wednesday: "We always said, 'We'll go in together, we'll leave together.' I am for an orderly withdrawal and that is why I assume that we will agree to that today."

NATO allies have been waiting for President Biden to decide on a withdrawal deadline and have had consultations with U.S. officials. It was important now, Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer said, "for us in NATO to synchronize our planning with the U.S. planning."

The Atlantic alliance's troops rely on the Americans for force protection, logistics and intelligence and would be highly vulnerable if they remained after the United States left.

The NATO ministers will also address a buildup of Russian troops at the border with Ukraine, the alliance's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Wednesday, appearing alongside Mr. Blinken. "Russia must end this military buildup, stop provocations and de-escalate," Mr. Stoltenberg said.

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Jens Stoltenberg, left, the secretary general of NATO, with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in Brussels on Wednesday. Credit... Kenzo Tribouillard/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

NATO will discuss how to demonstrate further support for Ukraine and also plans for the next meeting of the alliance sometime this year, Mr. Stoltenberg added.

The American secretary of defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, is scheduled to join Mr. Blinken at the NATO meeting after a visit to Israel and Germany.

After the gathering, Mr. Blinken will meet with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, the other members of "the Quad," to discuss Afghanistan, Ukraine and the continuing talks in Vienna about how to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.

Those talks are expected to resume this week. They have been complicated by the blackout at the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in Iran, which was reportedly the result of an attack by Israel, and by the responses from Tehran, which have included an attack on an Israeli ship and a vow to begin enhancing uranium enrichment from 20 percent to 60 percent, levels banned under the accord and closer to weapons-grade.

The Iranian moves were criticized in a joint statement from the British, French and German foreign ministers on Wednesday.

"This is a serious development since the production of highly enriched uranium constitutes an important step in the production of a nuclear weapon," the statement said.

The statement called Iran's moves "particularly regrettable" when the Vienna meetings had made progress. "Iran's dangerous recent communication is contrary to the constructive spirit and good faith of these discussions," it noted.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is purely civilian.

The German Foreign Ministry said that the main topic of the separate meeting of foreign ministers from the Quad would be Afghanistan. Although France pulled its troops out of Afghanistan years ago, the country remains deeply involved in the Iran talks. The Vienna negotiations are trying to bring both the United States and Iran back into compliance with the accord, from which President Donald J. Trump withdrew in May 2018. In response, Iran began to breach enrichment levels, calling its actions "remedial."

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NATO Is Expected to Confirm Its Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan

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The alliance's mantra has always been "in together and out together," so with the U.S. leaving, the pullout would not come as a surprise. BRUSSELS - Now that the United States has decided to pull its troops from Afghanistan by Sept.

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President Biden has decided to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 20 years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon launched the country into its longest war, United States officials said Tuesday.

The decision will keep more than 3,000 American troops on the ground in Afghanistan beyond the May 1 withdrawal deadline announced by the administration of former President Donald J. Trump.

But it signals what Mr. Biden plans to present as a definitive end to America's "Forever War."

Administration officials said that since Mr. Biden was fixing a definite date on an American troop withdrawal, he hoped to avoid an increase in violence - which the Taliban has threatened if the United States kept troops beyond May 1.

The decision was reported earlier Tuesday by The Washington Post.

A new intelligence report released Tuesday offered a grim assessment of Afghanistan and the prospects for peace. American intelligence agencies assessed that a peace deal was unlikely in the next year, and that the Taliban would make battlefield gains.

"The Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support," the report said.

Military and other officials who favored troops remaining in the country longer had used a similar classified intelligence assessment to argue for a slower drawdown, worried that an exit of American troops could trigger a wider civil war and an eventual return of terrorist groups.

The report released Tuesday did not contain an assessment of the likelihood of a return of Al Qaeda to Afghanistan, and some senior officials remain skeptical the Taliban would allow it. The report did say that Afghan government forces continued to hold major cities. But they have been "tied down in defensive missions and have struggled to hold recaptured territory."

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Biden to announce full withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by Sept. 11.

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President Biden has decided to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 20 years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon launched the country into its longest war, United States officials said Tuesday.

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Many Afghans fear that without the umbrella of American protection, the country will be unable to preserve its modest gains toward democracy and women's rights.

Students at Mawoud Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan, last month. The planned withdrawal of U.S. troops and the Taliban's likely return to power have raised fears about the future of education for women and girls. Credit... Kiana Hayeri for The New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan - A female high school student in Kabul, Afghanistan's war-scarred capital, is worried that she won't be allowed to graduate. A pomegranate farmer in Kandahar wonders if his orchards will ever be clear of Taliban land mines. A government soldier in Ghazni fears he will never stop fighting.

Three Afghans from disparate walks of life, now each asking the same question: What will become of me when the Americans leave?

President Biden on Tuesday vowed to withdraw all American troops by Sept. 11, nearly 20 years after the first Americans arrived to drive out Al Qaeda following the 2001 terrorist attacks. The American withdrawal ends the longest war in United States history, but it is also likely to be the start of another difficult chapter for Afghanistan's people.

"I am so worried about my future. It seems so murky. If the Taliban take over, I lose my identity," said Wahida Sadeqi, 17, an 11th grader at Pardis High School in Kabul. "It is about my existence. It is not about their withdrawal. I was born in 2004 and I have no idea what the Taliban did to women, but I know women were banned from everything."

Uncertainty hangs over virtually every facet of life in Afghanistan. It is unclear what the future holds and if the fighting will ever stop. For two decades, American leaders have pledged peace, prosperity, democracy, the end of terrorism and rights for women. Few of those promises have materialized in vast areas of Afghanistan, but now even in the cities where real progress occurred, there is fear that everything will be lost when the Americans leave.

The Taliban, the extremist group that once controlled most of the country and continues to fight the government, insist that the elected president step down. Militias are increasing in prominence and power, and there is talk of civil war after the U.S. withdrawal.

Afghans watched with cautious optimism when Mr. Biden assumed office in January. Many had hoped he would reverse the Trump administration's rushed pledge to withdraw all U.S. troops by May after brokering a shaky peace deal with the Taliban last year.

Afghan leaders were convinced that the new American president would be a better ally, who would not immediately withdraw the troops that have helped keep the Taliban at bay and out of major cities.

Since the Afghan government and the Taliban began peace talks in Qatar late last year, fighting between them has surged, along with civilian casualties. On Wednesday, the United Nations' mission in Afghanistan reported that in the first three months of the year there were 573 civilians killed and 1,210 wounded, a 29 percent increase over the same period in 2020. More than 40,000 civilians have been killed since the start of the war.

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A police checkpoint in Kabul in January. Credit... Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

Over two decades, the American mission evolved from hunting terrorists to helping the government build the institutions of a functioning government, dismantle the Taliban and empower women. But the U.S. and Afghan militaries were never able to effectively destroy the Taliban, allowing the insurgents to stage a comeback.

The Taliban never recognized Afghanistan's democratic government. And they appear closer than ever to achieving the goal of their insurgency: to return to power and establish a government based on their extremist view of Islam.

Women would be most at risk under Taliban rule. When the group controlled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, it banned women from taking most jobs or receiving educations and practically made them prisoners in their own homes.

"It is too early to comment on the subject. We need to know much more," said Fatima Gailani, an Afghan government negotiator who is involved in the continuing peace talks with the Taliban. "One thing is certain: It is about time that we learn how to rely on ourselves. Women of Afghanistan are totally different now. They are a force in our country; no one can deny them their rights or status."

Afghanistan's shaky democracy - propped up by billions of American dollars - has given way to an educated urban class that includes women like Ms. Gailani. Many of them were born in Afghanistan in the 1990s and came of age during the U.S. occupation of the country. Now these women are journalists, part of civil society and members of government.

In the countryside, by contrast, fighting, poverty and oppression remain regular parts of life. Despite the challenges, residents found some comfort in knowing that Afghan forces, backed by the American military, were keeping the peace at least in some areas.

Packing pomegranates in the Arghandab district of Kandahar Province in November. One farmer said he had been displaced from his home for two months because of the heavy fighting there. Credit... Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

Haji Abdul Samad, 52, a pomegranate farmer from the Arghandab district of Kandahar Province, has been displaced from his home for two months because of the heavy fighting there.

"I am too tired of my life. We are now in a position to beg," Mr. Samad said. "The Americans are responsible for the troubles, hardships that we are going through. Now they are going to leave with their troops, with no peace, no progress. They just want to leave their war behind."

Fears about the future are as palpable in the presidential palace in Kabul as they are in far-flung corners of the country. And people across Afghanistan are confused about who will soon be in charge.

The Taliban have repeatedly called for President Ashraf Ghani to step down to make way for an interim government, or most likely, their own. Mr. Ghani has refused, instead pushing for elections but also opening the door to more fighting and a potential civil war. The peace talks in Qatar have faltered and the Taliban have all but backed out of proposed talks in Turkey.

"Ghani will be increasingly isolated. Power brokers see every one of his moves as designed to keep himself and his deputies at the helm," said Torek Farhadi, an adviser to former President Hamid Karzai. "Reality is, free and fair elections are not possible in the country amid war. In fact, it could fuel more violence."

Members of the Taliban in Laghman Province last year. Many fear that the extremist group will return to power after the Americans leave. Credit... Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

As American troops prepare to leave and fractures form in the Afghan government, militias controlled by powerful local warlords are once more rising to prominence and attacking government forces.

The American withdrawal will undoubtedly be a massive blow to morale for the Afghan security forces, spread across the country at hundreds of checkpoints, inside bases and along violent front lines. For years, the U.S. presence has meant that American air power, if needed, was nearby. But since the Trump administration's deal with the Taliban, those airstrikes have become much less frequent, occurring only in the most dire of situations.

Without American military support, Afghan government troops are up against a Taliban enemy who is frequently more experienced and better equipped than the average foot soldier.

The history of Afghanistan has been one of foreign invasion and withdrawal: the British in the 19th century and the Soviets in the 20th. After each invasion, the country underwent a period of infighting and civil war.

"It is not the right time to withdraw their troops," said Major Saifuddin Azizi, a commando commander in the southeastern province of Ghazni, where fighting has been especially brutal in recent days. "It is unreasonable, hasty and a betrayal to us. It pushes Afghanistan into another civil war. Afghanistan's destiny will look like it did two decades ago."

The city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. An Afghan Army official recently said the Taliban would have overtaken the city if not for U.S. air support. Credit... Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

Reporting was contributed by Fahim Abed, Najim Rahim and Fatima Faizi from Kabul, and Taimoor Shah from Kandahar.

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Afghans Wonder 'What About Me?' as American Troops Prepare to Withdraw

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Many Afghans fear that without the umbrella of American protection, the country will be unable to preserve its modest gains toward democracy and women's rights. KABUL, Afghanistan - A female high school student in Kabul, Afghanistan's war-scarred capital, is worried that she won't be allowed to graduate.

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U.S. Troops to Leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11

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WASHINGTON-President Biden will withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, effectively winding down the conflict 20 years after it began, officials said. Mr. Biden is expected to formally announce the decision Wednesday, officials said, revising a Trump administration plan for a withdrawal by May 1. The U.S.

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BRUSSELS-Top U.S. officials ramped up coordination with allies on Wednesday as President Biden prepared to announce a withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

"Together we have achieved the goals that we set out to achieve, and now it is time to bring our forces home," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters before meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Mr. Stoltenberg said he welcomed the "opportunity to closely coordinate and consult with all allies, as we agree on our future presence in Afghanistan."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other leading NATO diplomats and military officials and officers are set to join Messrs. Blinken and Stoltenberg in an effort to draw down forces before Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Mr. Biden is expected to announce the decision formally on Wednesday, marking the second time in less than two years that an American president has set a date to end the nation's involvement in the Afghan conflict-the longest war in U.S. history. Last year, then-President Donald Trump reached a deal with the insurgent Taliban movement under which U.S. troops would depart by May 1.

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U.S. Seeks Coordination With Allies on Afghanistan Withdrawal

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BRUSSELS-Top U.S. officials ramped up coordination with allies on Wednesday as President Biden prepared to announce a withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. "Together we have achieved the goals that we set out to achieve, and now it is time to bring our forces home," U.S.

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President Biden has decided to withdraw military forces from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News.

President Biden is expected to announce Wednesday his decision to begin the drawdown of U.S. forces before May 1 and the plan to have all the troops out of the country by September 11, at the latest.

According to a senior administration official, Mr. Biden has made the determination that the best path forward to protect American interests is to end the war in Afghanistan to address the global threat picture of today that includes China, pandemics, and terrorism in places across the globe.

The U.S. went into Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks to prevent terrorists from launching more attacks from Afghanistan. The Biden administration has determined that al Qaeda does not currently possess an external plotting capability, according to the official.

There will be counterterrorism capabilities that remain in the region to counter the potential reemergence of al Qaeda and hold the Taliban to its commitment that al Qaeda will not grow its capabilities.

An Afghan government official texted a response to the news: "Well we now have to charter our own way forward." The Afghanistan government is concerned about the withdrawal of U.S. troops; Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib predicts civil war will ensue.

The Biden administration has had to contend with a May 1 deadline negotiated by the Trump administration with the Taliban last year in a deal that called for a reduction of violence. The deadline of September 11, according to the official, is not "conditions-based."

The Taliban has threatened to harm U.S. troops if there is a break from the May 1 deadline. The official said the Taliban knows any violence against U.S. forces will prompt "a forceful response."

The U.S. has been consulting with NATO allies and will coordinate the withdrawal of NATO forces within the U.S. timeframe. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are traveling to Brussels on Wednesday.

The Biden administration is still pushing for the diplomatic process to find a political settlement between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The next peace negotiations will take place in Istanbul later this month, and the senior administration official said the Biden administration is committed to ensuring that women are both participating in the talks as well as the government.

The Washington Post first reported the president's plans.

Some Republicans were vocal in their criticism. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor that Mr. Biden was making a "grave mistake."

"Precipitously withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan is a grave mistake. It is retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished and abdication of American leadership," McConnell said.

GOP Senator Jim Inhofe called Mr. Biden's decision "outrageous," and Senator Joni Ernst said that it was "concerning."

"I think a random withdrawal just because you're celebrating an anniversary is not the right decision," Ernst said.

Republican Congressman Michael McCaul, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs committee, said that he was "shocked and extremely concerned" by reports of Mr. Biden's decision.

"This premature withdrawal shows a complete disregard for the realities on the ground, and will not only put Afghans at risk, but endanger the lives of U.S. citizens at home and abroad. I have urgently requested details on this decision and strongly urge the president to reconsider," McCaul said in a statement. The congressman had previously pushed back against the Trump administration's decision to slash the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Some Democrats, too, responded to the news of the withdrawal with some skepticism. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters on Tuesday that he wants "to hear the administration's rationale" for pulling out of Afghanistan.

"I just am concerned that after so much blood and national treasure that we don't lose what we were seeking to achieve," Menendez said. He added that he will "certainly will not be supportive of any assistance to Afghanistan if there is backsliding on civil society [and] the rights that women have achieved."

"If the Taliban ultimately doesn't keep its obligations, then there will be consequences and one of them will be that there will be no money flowing. So I don't know how they will rebuild the country," Menendez said.

Democratic Senator Jack Reed expressed unease over the decision, saying that the U.S. must "maintain a presence for regional stability."

"This should be seen as transitional, not as closure," Reed said.

But other lawmakers welcomed the news. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said in a statement that Mr. Biden was making "the brave and right decision."

"We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to every U.S. and coalition servicemember who has served in Afghanistan since 2001, and we will never forget the over 2,300 U.S. servicemembers who gave their lives there. We also remember the over 100,000 Afghan civilians who have been killed in this war," Sanders said. "The United States must remain committed to diplomatic, economic and humanitarian support for Afghanistan even as we bring this military intervention to an end."

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna also praised the decision.

"I applaud President Biden for achieving an impossibility here in Washington: ending a forever war. It is an act of extraordinary political courage and vision. After 20 years, thousands of lives lost, and trillions of dollars spent, we are finally bringing home our troops from Afghanistan. President Biden campaigned on this popular policy and is now delivering on that promise," Khanna said.

The U.S. launched its operation in Afghanistan in October of 2001. The engagement in Afghanistan is the longest conflict in American history.
Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.

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Biden to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by 9/11

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President Biden has decided to withdraw military forces from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News. President Biden is expected to announce Wednesday his decision to begin the drawdown of U.S.

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Sept. 11 marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. involvement in the war.

A U.S. defense official confirmed to ABC News Tuesday that President Joe Biden will withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the American involvement in the country's longest war.

There are roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan now. American troop levels reached a high of 100,000 troops in August 2010 and stayed at that level for much of the next year

The development was first reported by The Washington Post.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Biden to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan by 9/11: Defense official

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Sept. 11 marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. involvement in the war. A U.S. defense official confirmed to ABC News Tuesday that President Joe Biden will withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the American involvement in the country's longest war.

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Biden to remove all US forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11

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The president is expected to announce the withdrawal of troops from the Middle Eastern country by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that prompted America's longest war.