Secretary of State Blinken made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan after Biden announced plans to withdraw US troops from the country

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Thursday.

• It comes after President Biden announced plans to withdraw US troops by September 11.

• The Washington Post reported he wants to reassure Afghanistan the US is still committed to the country.

• See more stories on Insider's business page.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Thursday after President Joe Biden announced plans to withdraw US troops from the country.

The Washington Post reported that Blinken wants to reassure Afghanistan's government that the US is still committed to the country despite the withdrawal plans.

Insider has contacted the State Department for comment.

Blinken's visit follows a trip to Europe, where he met with NATO leaders. NATO on Wednesday announced that it would start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan from May 1, to follow the US.

Afghanistan's 1TV news reported that Blinken is due to give a press conference in Kabul on Thursday.

Earlier this week Biden announced plans to pull all US troops out of Afghanistan by September 11, 2021 - the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack.

The US intelligence community warned in a Tuesday report that Afghanistan's government "will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support."

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