Why Biden May Stay In Afghanistan After All Screenshot from official @POTUS instagram The U.S. mission in Afghanistan is nearly old enough to buy a beer, having gone on since 2001. Two presidents, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, promised it would come to an end, but the war outlasted them both. Trump's administration negotiated a deal with the Taliban that committed us to leave by May. That obligation was conveniently scheduled for after the 2020 presidential election, making it Joe Biden's problem. Biden said at his news conference last week, "It's going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline." But when asked if our troops would still be there next year, he said, "I can't picture that being the case."