Acting US Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indian and Pacific Regional Security David Helvey said work was now underway to ensure that the Taliban comply with the agreements reached in Doha
Afghanistan should not turn into a terrorist sanctuary country after the withdrawal of US troops. Acting US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indian and Pacific Regional Security David Helvey said this on Thursday while addressing a hearing of the US Senate Armed Services Committee.
“We are working closely with the Afghan military and security services, as well as with our partners and allies, to maintain capabilities in the region that would provide confidence that Afghanistan will not become a haven for terrorists or threaten our security”, – he said. He said the U.S. is also working now to ensure that the Taliban respects the agreements reached in Doha and that IS and al-Qaeda do not reappear in the country and use Afghanistan as a launching pad to attack the United States or its allies.
White House deputy press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said April 29 that the U.S. has begun withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and additional forces and assets have been deployed to the region as a precautionary measure.
On 14 April 2021, US President Joe Biden announced plans to begin withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan in May and complete it by 11 September 2021, although the previous administration, led by Donald Trump, signed a peace agreement with the Taliban in Doha in February 2020, under which Washington committed to withdraw its troops, as well as those of allies, by 1 May 2021. This derogation of the agreements has led to strong resentment on the part of the Taliban, who have effectively declared that they then consider themselves free of the commitments they made under the Doha agreement.