The New York Times reports that Taliban fighters have surrounded major population centers across Afghanistan, as the Biden administration weighs whether to honor an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops by May 1. On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the U.S.-led military alliance was not ready to withdraw from Afghanistan.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: “While no ally wants to stay in Afghanistan longer than necessary, we will not leave before the time is right.”

Earlier this month, a congressionally appointed panel known as the Afghanistan Study Group recommended the Biden administration should renege on a U.S. agreement to withdraw by May.