As the Taliban rapidly retake vast swathes of Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of Western troops, European leaders are watching with a mixture of shock, fear and impotence, writes Politico
The paper noted that European officials were left utterly stunned by how quickly the Taliban* defeated government forces across Afghanistan, despite the funds that had been invested in stabilising the situation.
“We feared that in 20 weeks the hands of the clock would go back 20 years – but instead, unfortunately, 20 days was enough”, – Italian General Claudio Graziano, chairman of the European Union military committee, told Politico.
In addition, European fears are raised by the prospect that a hardline Islamist regime could re-establish itself in Afghanistan, triggering a new wave of migration and a series of consequences for Afghans who work for the European Union or European missions.
“However, while Europe has a strong interest in the outcome of the conflict in Afghanistan, European officials acknowledge that they have very little influence or leverage”, – the publication notes.
Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued a statement calling on the Taliban to immediately resume negotiations and respect human rights. He warned that “if power is seized by force and an Islamic emirate is restored, the Taliban will face non-recognition, isolation and lack of international support”.
“I don’t see us having much leverage. The Taliban just seems to want to put us in front of the fact”, – one European diplomat stressed to Politico.