The US military mission in Afghanistan will end on August 31, President Joe Biden announced, as Afghan commandos battled the Taliban for control of a provincial capital in the most brazen assault by the militants since Washington stepped up its troop withdrawal.

Nearly 20 years after it invaded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the US military has “achieved” its goals in the country, killing Osama bin Laden, degrading Al-Qaeda and preventing more attacks on the United States, Biden said in a White House speech.

“We are ending America’s longest war. The status quo is not an option. I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan. The United States cannot afford to remain tethered to policies created to respond to a world as it was 20 years ago. We need to meet the threats where they are today”, - Biden said.