Pakistan’s national security adviser to Prime Minister Mohammad Yousuf and the head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lieutenant General Faiz Ahmed, said the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan would create a security threat in the country from terrorist organizations
Pakistan, along with other countries, including Russia and China, will seek peaceful resolution of the situation in Afghanistan to prevent incitement of civil war in the country. Pakistan’s National Security Adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister Moeed Yousuf and Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Ahmed said during their visit to the US last week.
Citing sources, The Express Tribune reported on Monday that in meetings in Washington with US Presidential National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and other US officials, Yusuf and Ahmed stressed that withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan would allow terrorist groups like al-Qaeda (banned in Russia) to regroup and eventually become a security threat not only to the region but also to the United States itself.
“Pakistan is concerned about this development and is advocating that the US should not be indifferent to the situation in Afghanistan and should do its part to ensure a political settlement in that country to prevent an escalation of civil war. In this regard, during his visit to the US, Pakistani officials said that in the face of escalating tensions in Afghanistan, Pakistan will continue to work with other countries in the region, including Russia and China, to prevent a civil war in Afghanistan. Cooperation in this direction will also continue with Joe Biden’s administration”, – the newspaper wrote.
According to The Express Tribune’s sources, Islamabad is pinning its hopes for a speedy resolution of the situation in Afghanistan on a meeting of senior officials from Pakistan, China, Russia and the US scheduled for August 11 in Doha to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and ways to politically resolve the country.
The situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly after Joe Biden’s statement in April this year about the end of the US military operation in the republic and the subsequent process of withdrawal of US troops from Afghan territory. As a result, the Taliban have strengthened their offensive in several directions. Several dozen districts are under control of the Taliban, who have also seized a number of key border crossings on Afghanistan’s borders with Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan.