exhibition boots to you by the african export import bank and the premium partners the only a.t.f. 2021 transforming africa. it's time for american troops to come home president biden says it's time to end the americas for ever war but promises it will not be a hasty exit from afghanistan this is the u.n. says nearly 1800 afghan civilians were killed or injured in just the 1st 3 months of this year. alone barbara starr you're watching al-jazeera live from london also coming up the police officer who shot dead a 20 year old dante right in minnesota is arrested and faces a manslaughter charge and india refuses to call off

a hindu festival drawing millions to the ganges this fight hitting a new record high for coated case. it's time 2 for american troops to come home that's the pledge from u.s. president joe biden as he looks to close the book on 2 decades of military involvement in afghanistan in a speech in the last half hour of the white house is that all 3500 u.s. soldiers still in afghanistan will start to withdraw or made the 1st then we'll all have left by september 11th that's the 20th anniversary of the attacks that sparked america's longest running war it's cost the lives of $2400.00 u.s. service members and then estimated 2 trillion dollars. i'm now the 4th

united states president to preside over american troop presence in afghanistan 2 republicans 2 democrats i will not pass this responsibility on to a 5th we want to have ghana stand because of a horrific attack that happened 20 years ago that cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021 that's cost for a white house correspondent kimberly a how to take kimberly how much resistance has this decision by president biden met with in the u.s. . well we know that this is going against the advice of some pentagon officials and security experts but what we heard from the president as he spoke to the nation in the world was that after a 3 month policy review he has not been given any good reason to stay in other words the material conditions on the ground will never be perfect for timely

withdrawal of soldiers and as a result he believes that time is now now this decision has been made after notifying members of congress the united nations the european union nato and as well of course afghan leaders what the united states is saying is that they will still be supportive of the afghan government as it moves forward as it continues to strive for peace but at the same time with respect to u.s. national security the threats have evolved the president as well as the press secretary pointing out that osama bin laden behind the september 11th attacks of 2001 has been dead for 10 years a decade ago and now that threat has metastasized in the words of the white house press secretary joe biden saying that they are now concerned about areas like somalia where al shabaab is operating. in syria and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula so the u.s. president saying that if there is a resurgence that the united states will address that but at the same time the

large military footprint that has been very large in the past generation is coming to an end and of course the drawdown will start in may and is due to finish on that very symbolic date his isn't a complete live and 2021 of course 20 years after the attack all on the twin towers if we have some kind of i guess picture of what is going to happen over those over those months obviously the troops will withdraw but when it comes to putting anything in place to help the afghan government after that withdrawal. well we heard from the president that his intention is that the sort of u.n. process that is continuing to be sort of. worked out in terms of the. the taliban and the afghan government will continue and that he believes that is the best venue for that but at the same time that doesn't mean that the united states is not going to be in afghanistan any more in fact they believe in want to

support that diplomatic path there will be a diplomatic presence and there will be protection for diplomats in afghanistan what is unclear is what that will look like we don't have any specific numbers in fact the white house press secretary declined to answer that question when asked at the press briefing and that has a lot to do with the fact that there are a large number of clandestine forces working in kabul and that using kabul as a base and those numbers will never be public and in addition for many years and for almost since the start of this conflict there has also been a very significant military contractor presence presence in other words people with military experience but that they are not employed by the u.s. military so that also makes some of the record keeping in numbers difficult to ascertain what is clear though is that that formal presence will no longer be in afghanistan and one more thing we should point out is that when the president was speaking it was very emotional he is the father of

a veteran his son died he believes as a result of exposure to talk to toxic chemicals when he was serving in iraq so we talked about how he knows about the human cost and he'll be at arlington national cemetery to remember those who lost their lives. there but staying on this topic will come back to you but let's go live now to brussels nato headquarters of course of the secretary general general younes stoltenberg and the u.s. secretary of state anthony blinken and u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin are giving a news conference about this very topic joining me here in. i'm very grateful for your strong commitment to. return so. your presence here today is a continued demonstration over the importance of the concept that the bomb and not the states is commitment to consulting with its nato allies. today

we decided to get there on the future or persons in afghanistan. we have enough go on this on for almost 20 years ofter we invoked article 5 of our founding the for the 1st time in support of tonight that states off to do rethink $911.00 terrorist attacks standing shoulder to shoulder we have paid a high price in both logged on in treasure thousands of troops from allied on many partner nations and from afghanistan have paid the ultimate price. many more have been wounded we are grateful to all who have served and the owner all those who have sacrificed so much for our shared security. together we have prevented buffed on the stone from

serving as a safe haven for terrorists attacked us against our own countries since 911 that have been no terrorist attacks on our road sword organized from afghanistan. they also helped to build the afghan security forces from scratch with great bravery and professionalism they have provided security across the country over the last years on in the almost 2 decades i mean national military persons we have helped the afghan people achieve social progress over a year ago we welcomed the u.s. talabani agreement on the us of calling the strong joint declaration. since then. we have gradually reduced our troop presence us part of the peace process.

currently we have around $10000.00 troops now from the stone the majority from norman u.s. allies and patna countries. we have been closely consulting on our presence enough go on the song or the last weeks and months. in the light of the us decision to withdraw for an under fence ministers of nato discuss the way forward today and the science. that we will start that would draw all of nato rissa support mission forces by may 1st our drawdown will be orderly coordinated and deliberate we plan to complete the would draw down for all out troops within a few months and the tal of on attacks all no troops during this period will be met with a forceful response. we have and into afghanistan together we

have adjusted over poster together and we are united in leaving together this is not an easy decision i made that entails risks our sides had for many months we face a dilemma because still turn it into leaving in an orderly fashion is to be prepared for a long term open ended military commitment with potentially more nato troops. this is not the end of all relationship with the promise them but that all that is start of a new chapter chapter nato allies and partners will continue to stand with the afghan people. but it's not for the afghan people to build a sustainable peace. that puts an end to violence safeguards the

human rights of all afghans particularly women children and i notice upholds the rule all role and ensures that offered on this on never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists today nato ministers also addressed russia's the military buildup in and around ukraine this is the biggest not sing of russian troops since the illegal annex ation of crimea in 2014. i did see a part of a broader pattern of russian aggressive actions which raises very serious concerns allies hold it support ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity of the whole and russia to deescalate immediately stop it pop on all of aggressive provocations and respect its international commitments. today's meeting is an

important demonstration over unity and in this complex and more competitive world we must continue to strengthen nato to face the full range of challenges not just yesterday but today and tomorrow so tone and lloyd it's great to be together with you and peace and it over to you thank you yes thank you so much. sectary austin good evening everyone it's very good to be back here at nato just a few weeks after my 1st visit as secretary of state particularly for such an important day in the history of our alliance. 20 years ago after the united states was attacked on 911 this alliance invoked article 5 for the 1st time in its history and attack on one is an attack on all. together we went to afghanistan to

root out al qaeda and prevent future terrorist attacks from afghanistan directed at our own lands now we will leave afghanistan together and bring our troops home. president biden just laid out our plan in detail in a speech to the american people and as you heard and as you just. noted will begin our troop withdrawal by may 1st and we'll complete it before the 20th anniversary of 911 later this year after years of saying that we will leave at some point that time has come the threat from al qaeda in afghanistan is significantly degraded osama bin laden has been brought to justice we have achieved our original objective and we don't believe that maintaining an indefinite troop presence in afghanistan is in our interests not for the united

states not for nato and our allies. the world has changed dramatically over the last 20 years and as you heard the president say we have to adjust our strategy to meet the threats of 2021 not 2001 and take on the challenges that now demand our focus and resources the united states and our allies will coordinate closely on our next steps we've always said the secretary general noted that our plan was in together or just together out together and today we began to hammer out what out together looks like we will withdraw our troops responsibly deliberately safely . let me be clear. even with our troops home we as an alliance and the united states as a country will continue to invest in and support the afghan people and their chosen

leaders will also remain vigilant against any possibility that the threat of terrorism reemergence in afghanistan will reorganize our counterterrorism capabilities to stay on top of that will also hold the taliban mcconnel to its commitments to keep al qaeda or any terrorist organization from using afghanistan as a base for attacks against us will pursue a durable and just political settlement between the government vets can a stand in the taliban and willing gauge other countries that have a major stake in a stable future for afghanistan and will now have to step up after years of nato underwriting stability. we'll continue to support the government ought and continue to fight valiantly and a great cost on behalf of their country and will keep investing in the well being of the afghan people will bring our diplomatic in development resources to bear to protect and build upon the gains that the afghan people have made in recent years

will continue support for the rights of afghan women and girls minorities advocating for their meaningful participation in the ongoing negotiations and their equal representation throughout society and will maintain significant humanitarian assistance to those in need in short bringing our troops home does not mean ending our relationship with afghanistan or our support for the country and as you said this will be the start of a new chapter grounded in diplomacy just like our relationships with other countries the future of afghanistan ultimately is in the hands of the afghan people where it belongs but our support our engagement and our determination remain. let me just also take a moment to acknowledge the extraordinary courage and strength of the troops who've served in afghanistan over the past 20 years at its height the international

security assistance force had troops from 50 nato and partner countries today resolute support has troops from 35 nato allies and partners are service members risked their lives lost their lives in this effort but we have succeeded in achieving the objective that we set out to achieve thanks to them and we honor their service and their sacrifice i also have to say that the united states will never forget the solidarity that our nato allies have shown every step of the way no country could have achieved what we achieved as an alliance working together and as my friend secretary austin going to test these years in afghanistan have transformed our troops in our countries in ways that we will be reflecting and acting on for a long time to come on

a separate note as the secretary general said we also spent some time today talking about the deep concern that allies share. about russia and its actions on the borders of ukraine the largest concentration of forces there since 2014 and what was striking to me was. in the north atlantic council meeting listening to every single ally. all 30 of us express express those concerns and a determination to see russia take steps to deescalate the tensions that it is creating our conversations today here at nato are just the start of the intensive planning that our countries will do together over the next several months we are grateful to our allies we're grateful to you mr secretary general for your leadership as we undertake this historic transition together thank you.

secretary general stoltenberg thank you for today's productive discussions. and i'm grateful to be joined by my friend and colleague today secretary blinken. and tonight i want to thank our nato allies and partners for the time that they have afforded us to complete our review and explain the president's decision to withdraw all u.s. forces from afghanistan by september 11th 2021 and i fully support his decision. our troops have accomplished the mission that they were sent to afghanistan to accomplish and they have much for which to be for out their services and their sacrifices alongside those of our resolute support of

afghan partners made possible the greatly diminished threat to all of our homelands and homelands from al qaeda and other terrorist groups these brave men and women also made possible economic civil and political progress and so today the afghan people police their own streatch they defend their own interest they elect their own leaders many of whom are women they send their children to school and they are on an operate more private enterprises than ever before there is still too much violence to be sure and we know the taliban and still will seek to reverse some of this progress. and that's why we support whole 100 way

the diplomatic efforts ongoing to achieve a negotiated and political settlement that the afghan people themselves indoors but today the president has given us a new mission to responsibly draw down our forces and transition to a new relationship with our afghan partners and thanks to the efforts of coalition and allied training the afghan security forces are better and more capable of securing their borders and protecting their fellow citizens and we will continue to support them in those efforts we will look to continue funding key capabilities such as the afghan air force and special mission wing and we will seek to continue paying salaries for afghan security forces we will also work closely with them and whether allies to maintain counterterrorism capabilities

in the region sufficient to ensuring afghanistan cannot become. a safe haven for terrorists who threaten our security now i know a thing or 2 about it executing a drawdown or what the military calls retrograde it is incredibly hard work even in the best of circumstances but i am confident that our troops and our leaders will accomplish this new mission with the same skill and the same professionalism with which they have done everything else in afghanistan and they will do it safely and they will do it orderly and they will do it deliberately and they will do it in lockstep with our allies as you've heard a couple of times this even knowing we have all said that we went in together we

adjusted together and now we will leave together. and i must add that we will respond forcefully should the taliban attack any of our faith our forces or those of our allies during astroid out now i believe it's important to remember that the president's decision also gives us an opportunity to refocus our efforts to deter and if necessary to defeat future adversaries and we will do that in no small measure by revitalizing our alliances and partnerships such as this one and by being ready to meet the challenges that most credibly undermine our international rules based order and as i've said before the people's republic of china is our number one placing

challenge as it seeks to reshape the international order and likewise i call on russia to respect ukraine's territorial integrity we are committed to assisting ukraine with good self-defense needs and in closing i want to thank all those who served in afghanistan i know all too well the sacrifice that we've we've all made to get us to this point and to the families and the loved ones of those who did not make it home and for all those forever changed by this war i pledge our own wavering support for the grief and the challenges that you still endure we

honor you and we honor their memory and we always will and i believe that the president's decision proves exactly that thank you very much. thank you we now have time for a few questions we'll start with john hutson from washington post on the front from . thank you very much secretary blinken the decision to withdraw from afghanistan has been applauded by war weary americans but many advocates for getting out have also said the u.s. must be willing to take in afghan asylum seekers and also interpreters who worked with military personnel who may be imperiled by this decision can you commit to that secretary stoltenberg will you encourage nato members to take in afghan refugees and asylum seekers and secretary austin i'm told you made a very powerful case for withdrawal in the next meeting today did uniformed u.s.

military person leaders share your view about this decision to withdraw in september. i'll start very quickly and and say simply yes we have a commitment especially to those who worked with us who helped us whether it was our our military our diplomats and we have a program that i think you're well aware of that is the so-called special immigrant visa program that that they would be eligible for and i'm certainly committed if if there is a demand for the requests for it to move forward on that more more broadly. as i said earlier. the fact that we are removing our forces from afghanistan does not mean that we're moving our commitment to afghanistan and that includes an ongoing commitment to afghanistan's development team military assistance particularly to those in need as well as support for the afghan security forces so

working with our partners working with our allies working with the international community. i am convinced you'll see sustained support for afghanistan that will help address. the challenges that afghans continue to face in their loss. if you say that it's for each and every. individual nations to make decisions on asylum but what i can say is that nate us the lines to get all the allies to continue to support the efforts to create a sustainable peace in afghanistan and that's exactly why we strongly support the peace efforts on the soles of the reason why we all have adjusted our force presence in afghanistan as part of the peace process so we will continue to provide support to afghanistan but we will do that not by having thousands of soldiers on the run up on the song but through our partnership with of khan the song with

the with the support of the peace process and all saw of course working to make sure that we maintain the gains from made not least in the fight against terrorism . in terms of the input of our senior military i won't speak for them what i can tell you is this was an inclusive process and their voices were heard and their concerns taken into consideration as the president made his decision but not of the decision has been made i call upon them to lead their forces to lead their forces through their suffer through this transition and knowing them all very well as i do i have every confidence that they will in fact lead their forces through this offer. from the wall street journal. i thank you very much for the secretary general what

proportion if any of your organizations members expressing concerns about a u.s. led withdrawal and what it would mean for afghanistan either as a possible location for terrorist elements or for the stability of the afghan government and civil and women's rights there. and if i may 1st secretary blinken what is your response to iran's claim that it will move to 60 percent uranium enrichment and is that an expected or an appropriate response to the attack on the times that that iran has has blamed on israel and then for secretary austin a question about russia's military buildup that's worrying so much of europe today . what response to the u.s. and its partners have to impose costs on moscow if it interferes further in ukraine other than the kind of targeted sanctions we've seen since 2014 and where those responses discussed this week with nato and other partners thank you all ahs

agreed on all our laws agreed actually a statement which we agree that the minister meeting today where we clearly stated that we now have decided to start to the withdrawal of all over nato troops from of gone this long starting the 1st of may and the plan is to find out the whole would roll within a few months so this is not something we just discussed this isn't there so we decided on the dump the. joint declaration where we state that clearly and also explained why we made the decision at the same time i think all i was aware of that this is not the east of this mission. and this is that this isn't done and paves risks. on the.