December 21, 2018
In a move likely to have far-reaching implications for South and Central Asia, President Donald Trump has decided to pull out 7,000 troops from Afghanistan.
The move comes a day after the White House decision to withdraw all 2000 American troops from Syria.
According to The Washington Post, the two decisions have prompted Defense Secretary James Mattis to resign from the Pentagon leadership.
According to The Washington Post, the two decisions have prompted Defense Secretary James Mattis to resign from the Pentagon leadership.
Trump’s shift in Afghanistan policy follows Pakistan-facilitated talks between U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban Representatives in Qatar. The Taliban, a deeply conservative force of militants, are reported to be in control of more than half of the Afghan territory.
Meanwhile, the government in Kabul remains weak and the news of withdrawal of American troops would send negative signals to moderate and progressive Afghans. The U.S. officials, according to the Post, will also lose leverage that comes with the presence of troops currently numbered 14,000.
The Wall Street Journal, which was first to report the development, said that the administration is considering a “significant drawdown” of U.S. troops in the country.
The pullout may begin within several weeks, the report says.
“Our Afghan partners are incapable of subduing the threat posed by (ISIS/Da’esh) alone,” Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.
“The conditions in Afghanistan – at the present moment – make American troop withdrawals a high-risk strategy,” he said.
In the loss of gains after years of efforts, the lawmaker saw a paving of the way toward a “second 9/11.”
In the loss of gains after years of efforts, the lawmaker saw a paving of the way toward a “second 9/11.”
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