The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan does not mean that the U.S. is “completely leaving”, as was stated by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an interview with the 60 Minutes program on CBS News.
“We've been engaged in Afghanistan for 20 years, and we sometimes forget why we went there in the first place, and that was to deal with the people who attacked us on 9/11. And we did. Just because our troops are coming home doesn't mean we're leaving. We're not. Our embassy's staying, the support that we're giving to Afghanistan when it comes to-- economic support, development, humanitarian, that-- that remains. And not only from us, from partners and allies,” Antony Blinken said.
When asked whether the U.S. is prepared for a worst case scenario, in which the Taliban takes over, Blinken said they are prepared for every scenario.
“We have to be prepared for every scenario, and there-- there are a range of them. And-- we-- we-- we're looking at this-- in a very clear-eyed way,” Blinken said, commenting on the possibility of failing of the U.S.-backed government and Taliban’s take-over in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO troops.