Biden announces withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

The Biden administration plans to withdraw the last US troops from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks later this year, ending American involvement in its longest war.

The US invaded the country shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings, marking the start of a decades-long “war on terror”.

His predecessor, Donald Trump, had promised a swift drawdown but was urged by military advisers not to withdraw too quickly from the messy and intractable conflict.