Military planners hope for decision by Tuesday on whether U.S. will keep August 31 Afghanistan withdrawal deadline
CBSN
Military planners are hoping for a decision on Tuesday on whether or not U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan by August 31, a U.S. defense official told CBS News on Monday.
A source familiar with the planning confirmed that the White House is working toward getting the military an answer by Tuesday on whether or not President Biden will seek to extend the troop withdrawal timeline past August 31. Mr. Biden said in remarks on Sunday that the hope is not to extend the deadline and to have completed the operation by then but there are ongoing discussions about whether to extend.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.