Biden to meet Afghani counterpart to discuss escalation of Taliban violence

US President Joe Biden will meet his Afghani counterpart face-to-face at the White House later this month to discuss an escalation of violence across the country. Taliban militants have launched dozens of attacks on Afghan security forces since President Biden announced the full withdrawal of US troops in April. All American forces will be withdrawn before September 11, after nearly 20 years of conflict, and the Afghani president will reportedly seek continued support in the aftermath of the withdrawal. Political analyst Professor Joe Siracusa told Sky News “I’ve seen this movie before, it was called the end of the Vietnam war”. “The South Vietnamese leadership wanted reassurance from Nixon that he would come to their aid in the event things were going badly. “He couldn’t come to their aid and they disappeared. In fact, the presidential palace today in Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, is a museum, it’s a place we all visit”. Professor Siracusa said the Afghan government must figure out how to survive over the next 18 months since they will be losing “their main support”. “All the president can offer … the Afghan leader is economic and humanitarian assistance, some diplomatic support … but the troops are going home”.