The U.S. military believes it could lead to civil war in the country
TASS reports that The Washington Post on Friday, citing its sources in the Washington administration, reported that some US Defense Department officials consider it very dangerous and problematic to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan by May 1, as required by agreements with the radical Taliban movement banned in Russia.
“The Pentagon recognizes the risky premature withdrawal of US troops from the Islamic republic. According to the estimates of the ministry leadership, the withdrawal could lead to a civil war in the country, possible terrorist attacks against the US and its allies, the deterioration of the human rights situation in the country. The defence ministry has warned that there is not enough time now to leave Afghanistan by May 1 without serious security and logistical problems. As the paper explains, military personnel and contractors could be evacuated by plane, but the withdrawal would require the destruction of millions of dollars worth of sensitive equipment and would also result in the laying off of diplomatic staff at the U.S. embassy in Kabul”, – the paper says.
In addition, the newspaper quotes a senior Washington administration official as saying, the Taliban have still not implemented a number of agreements and are still in contact with the al-Qaeda (banned in Russia) terrorist network.
In January, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby allowed a review of the decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan in violation of peace agreements with the Taliban. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the new U.S. administration had not yet made any decisions about its policy on Afghanistan, including levels of continued U.S. troop presence in the republic.