U.S. intelligence organizations have assessed that the Taliban would take over much of Afghanistan if American troops are withdrawn without a political accord between the insurgent group and the Kabul government, a leading newspaper reported.
A takeover could potentially open the door for al Qaeda to rebuild its strength within the landlocked country that has been in a state of conflict for decades, a report citing American officials on the assessment said.
President Joe Biden is considering whether to meet a May 1 deadline for withdrawal of all U.S. troops, said to be 2500 in numbers as agreed between his predecessor Donald Trump and the Taliban under a Doha peace accord.
A report in The New York Times says the classified assessment, first prepared last year for the Trump administration but not previously disclosed, is the latest in a series of grim predictions of Afghanistan’s future.
Currently, the country is facing a political stalemate as peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government have broken down.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has dispatched its envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to the region to push forward the stalled peace dialogue.
The Taliban have warned that they would fight international forces that stay past the promised May 1 deadline.
In a speech, President hinted that the U.S. might not meet the May 1 deadline for pull-out of troops but also said he does not envisage the American troops staying in the country for long.
The Afghan situation represents an early test for the Biden Administration which has emphatic in calling on Kabul to make meaningful progress in peace talks with the Taliban that would help reach a power-sharing arrangement and pave the way for international military disengagement from Afghanistan.
