Biden to speak Thursday about Afghanistan amid swift US pullout

Afghan National Army officers keeps watch at a chek point in Kabul, Afghanistan

President Joe Biden on Thursday will offer his most extensive comments to date about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, a pullout that is raising concerns about a civil war there and drawing Republican criticism. A White House official said Biden would update the American people on the situation and that no major policy pronouncements were expected. The Democratic president, who is due to speak at 1:45 p.m. (1745 GMT), has been under pressure from critics to give a more expansive explanation for his decision to withdraw. The United States last weekend abandoned Bagram air base, the longtime staging ground for US military operations in the country, effectively ending America's longest war. The Pentagon says the withdrawal of US forces is 90% complete.