Afghanistan poses a dilemma for NATO

Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, said NATO is facing a dilemma over its future in Afghanistan as the Doha agreement, between the US and Taliban, warrants all foreign troops out of Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported

Dec 01, 2020
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Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, said NATO is facing a dilemma over its future in Afghanistan as the Doha agreement, between the US and Taliban, warrants all foreign troops out of Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported. 

“Whether to leave, and risk that Afghanistan becomes once again a safe haven for international terrorists. Or stay, and risk a longer mission, with renewed violence," Stoltenberg said. 
 
The comment came on Monday amid the continued drawdown of the US troops, irrespective of the violence level on the ground. Recently, the United States has decided to reduce its troop level to just 2500 in Afghanistan by 15 January next year- just five days ahead when Joe takes charge of the US presidency.  

Underscoring the fact the NATO alliance has continuously adjusted its troops level in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, Stoltenberg said, the drawdown became possible just because NATO has trained Afghan forces to defend the country on their own. 

However, he also made a pitch for continued limited military presence saying, “I strongly believe that the best way to stabilize Afghanistan is to train, assist, advise the Afghan security forces so they can be in charge, be responsible for their own country.”

Earlier, on many occasions, the NATO chief warned of the grave risks of abandoning Afghanistan. The US drawdown also made it hard for NATO to continue operating in the war-torn country as the US withdrawal will significantly affect their operational capabilities.  

Under the Doha deal, signed between the United States and the Taliban, all foreign troops are required to leave Afghanistan by 1 May 2021; though the NATO chief underscored the fact that the insurgent has not lived up to its part of the commitment of reducing violence in Afghanistan. 

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