Biden says it's up to Afghans to run their country as U.S. leaves

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the White House, in Washington, U.S., June 25, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Thursday said it is up to the Afghan people alone how they run their country, as he announced the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan will end on Aug. 31 despite new concerns about the possibility of a civil war.

"We did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build," Biden said. "It's the right and the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country."