Afghanistan troop withdrawal: NATO staying as long as necessary

November 16, 2020

A senior US defense official cited by Reuters Monday said Donald Trump’s desire to get US troops “home by Christmas” had featured in a “flurry of calls“ among NATO allies.

From Brussels, NATO spokewoman Oana Lungescu said the alliance’s stance in conflict-ravaged Afghanistan “hasn’t changed.”

NATO’s mission Resolute Support comprises, according to its website, around 16,000 troops from 38 nations, half of them from the United States.

Lungescu, however, put the troop strength Monday at “under 12,000“ and quoted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as saying “we continue to adjust our presence.”

“No NATO ally wants to stay any longer than necessary. At the same time, we want to preserve the gains made with such sacrifice,” Lungescu said

Read more: Designated US ambassador to Berlin gets Pentagon job instead

NATO will ‘continue to consult’

Stoltenberg had just held talks with Chris Miller, whom Trump appointed last week as acting US defense secretary after sacking Mark Esper. The latter had, according to AP, sought to talk Trump out of complete withdrawals from Afghanistan and Syria.

“More than half of these are non-US forces,” Lungescu noted about Resolute Support, highlighting the multinational complexity of the Afghan mission established in 2015 under a UN Security Council resolution.

NATO allies — dependent on US logistics — would “continue to consult” on the mission, “in a coordinated manner and based on conditions on the ground,” she stressed.

‘Coordination’ discussed, says Pentagon

The US Department of Defense said Miller and Stoltenberg had “discussed the continued importance of coordination in support of NATO Missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Afghanistan has remained gripped by violence in recent months, with negotiators between its Kabul government and the Taliban in Qatar making little progress after US-Taliban talks highlighted by Trump last year.

Campaigning for reelection during October, Trump had tweeted” we should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas.”

Designated US Defense Secretary Chris Miller last weekend said it was time for US overseas forces “to come home.” However, he did not offer a timetable.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Fragile security

Repeated attacks in Afghanistan in 2018 and 2019 have killed and wounded hundreds of innocent Afghans, and shown the world the fragile and worsening state of security in the conflict-stricken country. The incidents have plunged war-weary Afghan citizens into a state of despair and highlighted the limitations faced by the government in Kabul in ensuring public security.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan

A long series of attacks

The violent incidents have made Afghanistan once again a staple of international headlines. Outfits like the Taliban and the “Islamic State” (IS) have claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Afghan government is under heavy pressure to restore security and take back territory controlled by a number of insurgent groups, including the Taliban and IS.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Spring offensive

In 2018, the Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive, dismissing an offer of peace talks by President Ashraf Ghani. The militants, fighting to restore their version of strict Islamic law to Afghanistan, said their campaign was a response to a more aggressive US military strategy adopted in 2017, which aims to force the militants into peace talks.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Trump’s Afghanistan policy

US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan in 2017, vowing to deploy more troops to train and advise Afghan security forces. Trump also pledged to support Afghan troops in their war against the Taliban and maintain US presence in the country for as long as there was a need for it. In 2019, he reversed course and promised a troop pullout.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Afghan peace process

Despite President Ghani’s offer in February 2018 for peace talks “without preconditions,” the Taliban had until 2019 shown no interest, dismissing the peace overtures as a “conspiracy.”

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Pakistani support

Pakistan has been under pressure from Kabul and Washington to stop offering safe havens to militants blamed for attacks in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies and insists that its influence over the insurgents has been exaggerated. Kabul and Islamabad regularly trade accusations of harboring the other country’s militants and the harsh language has underscored the strains between them.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan

Role of the warlords

Apart from the Taliban, Afghan warlords exercise massive influence in the country. Last year, Hizb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar returned to Kabul after a 20-year exile to play an active role in Afghan politics. In September 2016, the Afghan government signed a deal with Hekmatyar in the hope that other warlords and militant groups would seek better ties with Kabul.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan

An inefficient government

In the midst of an endless battle for power, President Ghani’s approval ratings continue to plummet. Rampant corruption in the Afghan government and a long tug-of-war within the US-brokered national unity government has had a negative impact on the government’s efforts to eradicate terrorism.

Author: Shamil Shams