WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will meet with Afghan leaders at the White House on Friday amid an ongoing U.S. military withdrawal as Afghanistan’s future remains in limbo.  

The president’s meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, head of the country’s High Council for National Reconciliation, comes as U.S.-backed peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have stalled.

Meanwhile, the militant Islamic group has gained new territory at an alarming clip in recent weeks. Renewed fighting has stoked fears that the Taliban will topple the Afghan government once American and NATO forces have left.

At a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, Ghani dismissed questions about a U.S. intelligence analysis that concluded his