Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin travels to Afghanistan on unannounced visit

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Afghanistan Sunday on his first visit to the country as the United States’ top defense official, meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other officials.

Austin landed in Kabul Sunday morning for a previously unannounced visit after a stop in India, according to the press pool traveling with the secretary.

The defense secretary’s visit comes as the United States must decide whether it will adhere to an agreement the Trump administration reached last year with the Taliban to remove all US forces from the country by May 1.

Austin told reporters in New Delhi on Saturday that “to my knowledge,” President Joe Biden “has not made a decision or made any announcements on when he’ll decide to remove” US troops from Afghanistan.

“There is a rigorous process that’s ongoing as the President really works his way through making that decision and no decisions have been made. No decisions on length of stay or troop numbers have been made to this point,” Austin said.

Last week, CNN reported the Biden administration is considering a six-month extension for American troops in Afghanistan, just weeks before the May 1 deadline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban to withdraw all US forces from the country, according to a defense official. No final decision has been made, the official emphasized.