White House Won’t Say Whether Special Operations Troops Will Remain in Afghanistan After September 11

President Joe Biden removes his mask to speak from the Treaty Room in the White House about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in Washington on April 14, 2021. Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images

The White House hasn’t yet announced whether special operations troops will remain in Afghanistan after President Joe Biden on April 14 outlined a drawdown of combat troops in the region that will begin May 1 and conclude by Sept. 11.

Special operations troops were the first deployed in the war in Afghanistan nearly two decades ago. As of this year, as many as 1,000 special operations forces are reported to remain in Afghanistan on top of some 2,500 U.S. combat troops.