US to coordinate with NATO on troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

US and NATO officials are in Brussels to discuss a withdrawal of the military alliance from Afghanistan. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today US to coordinate with NATO on troop withdrawal from Afghanistan [NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken address a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, April 14, 2021.] Credit: Kenzo Tribouillard, Pool via AP US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are meeting with NATO officials in Brussels to [discuss a withdrawal of the military alliance]( from Afghanistan, after two decades of war. President Biden is expected to announce later on Wednesday the symbolic date of [Sept. 11]( [as a new deadline]( to pull US troops out of Afghanistan. Blinken said despite the withdrawal, neither the US nor NATO are abandoning Afghanistan, where approximately 7,000 NATO forces and an additional 2,500 US troops remain. “Together, we went into Afghanistan to deal with those who attacked us ..., ” Blinken said. “And together, we have achieved the goals that we set out to achieve. And now it is time to bring our forces home.” The Trump administration had previously set a deadline for withdrawal for US troops from Afghanistan for May 1, but The World’s [Shirin Jaafari reports]( (🎧) that as the date approached, it became clear that the withdrawal was improbable. With the forthcoming withdrawal, many are anxious about what this could mean for [Afghanistan’s future in terms of security](. Who is going to govern Afghanistan if there is no peace agreement? Will the country descend into civil war? These are just some of the questions on the minds of many Afghans these days. 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Critics argue Mohamed’s presidency has ended and the mandate extension could create more instability. The [United States has threatened sanctions]( and called for Somalia's federal and regional states to return to talks on the election crisis. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Refugees stuck in limbo over Biden's inaction to restore admissions program]( [Faith leaders and members of human rights groups protest outside of the US Capitol during a demonstration calling on Congress not to end refugee resettlement programs on Oct. 15, 2019, in Washington, DC.]( Credit: Jose Luis Magana/AP/File photo There's been a steady focus on migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border. But refugees — less in the spotlight — have seen their chances of entry to the US grind to a halt, leaving them in unexpected limbo. 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It’s one that scientists hope [can work against any and all variants of the current coronavirus](, and even the SARS-1 virus that fueled a deadly outbreak in 2002 and 2003. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Think of a giant, prehistoric armadillo or ground sloth. Now think of the massive tunels these animals dug under the earth. They are called paleoburrows and, to date, [almost 2,000 of these tunels have been found across South America](, mostly in the Brazilian states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, that border Uruguay and Argentina. Scientists believe they could be 12,000 years old, or even much much older. The discovery is opening up a whole new branch of paleontology. [Almost 2,000 paleoburrows have been found across South America.]( Credit: Michael Fox/The World --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it from The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.