US President Joe Biden’s administration is looking to keep US troops in Afghanistan past a May 1 deadline while exploring a deal in which the Taliban would allow a US counter-terrorism force to remain as they confront their Daesh foes, a top US lawmaker said on Wednesday, according to Reuters report.

Reuters reports that House of Representatives Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith’s comments provided new details of US President Joe Biden’s conduct of the Afghanistan peace process that he inherited from the Trump administration.

Addressing an online Foreign Policy magazine forum, Smith said he spoke to national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the withdrawal. 

“I think there’s a general feeling that May 1 is too soon, just logistically,” he said. “We’ve got ... closer to 3,500 troops in Afghanistan. Our allies have around 7,000.”

“You cannot pull out 10,000-plus troops in any sort of way in six weeks,” he said. He added the administration’s “job one” is talking to the Taliban about allowing the US-led force to remain for a little longer.

He noted the Taliban demand that all foreign troops leave. If that remains their position, he said, “I don’t see that we have much choice but to leave,” including counter-terrorism forces. 

“What the Biden administration wants to do is negotiate past May 1 and then at least explore the option: has the Taliban changed their mind as they ... are fighting ISIS (Islamic State) almost as much as they are fighting the Afghan government,” Smith continued. 

“Might their position change about a US presence? I doubt it. But I think the administration is thinking it’s worth the conversation,” he said. 

The Taliban has been fighting Islamic State’s local affiliate, and US airstrikes on ISIS have proved critical to helping them rout their rivals. 

But, experts say, Daesh remains a serious threat. 

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, in Brussels for the NATO ministerial, said the complete pullout of foreign forces from Afghanistan should not lead to the return of the Taliban to power, and that the pullout of foreign forces in the country should be condition-based. 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the timing of a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, said Biden is currently discussing "what is possible" with policy team members but that she didn't have a timeline for an update.Biden said in an ABC News interview last week that it will be “tough” for the US to meet a May 1 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. But Biden said that if the deadline, which is laid out in an agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban, is extended, it wouldn’t be by a “lot longer.”

Meanwhile, the US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas said that the current level of violence is threatening the progress toward a durable peace. 

“The ongoing violence including targeted killings of civilians is unacceptable. Violence now prevents progress towards sustainable peace. Journalists, human rights defenders and civil servants cannot continue to live in fear,” she said at a UN Security Council Open Debate on the Situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday. 

 “We condemn these attacks and reiterate our deepest sympathies to their families who had lost their lives. For a peace agreement to be durable and just, it (must) respect the universal human rights of all Afghans including women, girls and members of minority groups,” added the US envoy to the UN. 

Adela Raz, the Afghan permanent representative to the UN, also said that the international community should ensure that the gains Afghans have made over the past 20 years are protected in the peace process. 

“No peace can last in Afghanistan without securing, protecting, and promoting the gains that we have achieved over the past 20 years. The constitutional order must be preserved, and our democracy protected,” said Raz. 

 “We welcome the UN’s further engagement in Afghanistan and the appointment of Mr. Jean Arnault as the Secretary General's Personal Envoy on Afghanistan. We hope that he will complement the critical UN mission in Afghanistan led by SRSG Lyons to bring us closer to a sustainable & dignified peace in Afghanistan,” added Raz. 

 “Taliban have increased their violence and are targeting our young democracy, our vibrant civil society and our free and independent press. These attacks are meant to dissuade the participation of women and youth in the peace process, create panic, and crush peace aspirations,” said Raz. 

According to UN statistics, over the past two months, 80 people have been killed in targeted attacks.