Biden Rejected Blinken and Austin’s Advice on Gradual Afghanistan Withdrawal

After inheriting the Afghanistan quagmire from his predecessor, newly elect President Biden was staunchly committed to withdrawing troops from the country despite dissent from military advisers.

Remembering the iron grip they held on former President Obama, Biden refused to be beholden to military leaders in making foreign policy decisions, despite his own lack of military experience. Biden rejected the recommendations of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to delay the U.S. pull-out from Afghanistan, Bob Woodward and Robert Costa reveal in their upcoming book Peril, a copy of which was obtained by CNN.

“The...