US troops will only be withdrawn from Afghanistan together with NATO allies. This was stated by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, reports Ariana News.
“Our approach is that we entered this country together, we went through all the difficulties together and we will come out together when the time is right”, – Blinken said in an interview with CNN.
“In fact, there are now more European forces in Afghanistan than American ones, we have been walking shoulder to shoulder together from the very beginning of the conflict. It is also very important to speed up diplomacy, because ultimately everyone recognizes that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. There must be some kind of political settlement, and it must be achieved by the Afghans themselves”.
Blinken’s statement came after US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad left for Turkey to prepare peace talks on Afghanistan last week.
“Ambassador Khalilzad will build on the recent efforts of regional and international partners to encourage the two Afghan sides to accelerate their negotiations to end the conflict”, – the State Department said.
“It will help prepare for negotiations on a political settlement that will lead to a permanent ceasefire and a lasting and just peace. He will also meet with stakeholders to discuss how the region and the international community can facilitate negotiations between the parties”.
As reported by EADaily, the chief of US Special Operations Command, General Richard Clarke, said Afghan security forces need US assistance to successfully counter the Taliban and other threats facing Afghanistan. Although the deadline for the withdrawal of troops on May 1, according to the agreement signed in Doha between the United States and the Taliban (movement is prohibited in the Russian Federation), is only a few weeks away, Washington has not yet decided on a decision. President Joe Biden said it would be difficult for logistics reasons to withdraw troops before May, but American troops would not remain in Afghanistan after 2022.
Currently, the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan in the United States is about 10 thousand people, of which 2.5 thousand are US military personnel.