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US may increase troop numbers before full withdrawal: Pentagon
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Friday there could be an increase in the number of troops in Afghanistan in order to complete a safe withdrawal of all foreign forces by September 11.
Addressing a press conference Friday, Kirby said: “It is not out of the realm the possibility that for a short period of time, there will have to be some additional enabling capabilities added to Afghanistan, to help effect a safe, orderly, and deliberately planned drawdown of everybody by the president’s deadline, early September.”
Kirby did not however elaborate on the nature of the increase in US troops. “I can’t speak today with exactly what that would look like, how many, when they would be going in. But as we transitioned out of Iraq, of course, it’s logical to assume that you may need some logistics help, maybe some engineering help.”
“You may have to add some force protection capabilities, temporarily, just to make sure that the drawdown goes in a safe, orderly, and effective way. Again, we’ll know more as we get closer, but that would not be out of the realm of possibility,” Kirby said.
Responding to a question, Kirby said that the Department of Defense is still working out what the future bilateral security relationship is going to be with Afghanistan.
“We’re going to transition to a bilateral relationship, a military relationship that’s more akin to the kinds of relationships we have with other countries,” he said.
“It will not include a US military footprint on the ground in Afghanistan with the exception of what’s going to be required to support the diplomatic mission there. All that’s still being worked out. So, I can’t speak with specificity today about what contract support the Afghan security forces are going to need going forward,” he said.
The United States, he said, will maintain counterterrorism capabilities to continue to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a launching pad for terrorist attacks on the US.
“We have a vast range of capabilities available to us and we’re not going to speak to the details of exactly how we’re going to maintain those capabilities and utilise those capabilities,” he said.
On Wednesday US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that a full withdrawal of troops would start from May 1 and end by September 11 – the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the United States.
The Taliban did not however welcome the decision and said on Thursday the US was in breach of its agreement with the group, signed in February last year that called for full withdrawal by May 1.
Responding to the announcement, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid threatened retaliation and said on Twitter: “If the agreement is breached and foreign forces fail to exit our country on the specified date, problems will certainly be compounded and those (who) failed to comply with the agreement will be held liable.”
Kirby meanwhile acknowledged the danger and responded with a warning.
“We’ve seen their threats, and it would be imprudent for us not to take those threats seriously,” Kirby said.
“It would also be imprudent for the Taliban to not take seriously what the president and what (Defense) Secretary (Lloyd) Austin both made clear, that any attack on our drawdown, on our forces or our allies and partners as they draw down, will be met very forcefully.”
Kirby also insisted that even though American forces will be leaving, “it doesn’t mean that we’re walking away from our Afghan partners.”
U.S. officials have promised to continue paying the salaries of Afghan security force members and to financially support the Afghan Air Force.
Kirby said that going forward, the U.S. will continue to support the Afghan military.
Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recently visited the city of Maimana in northern Afghanistan, where she met with local officials, entrepreneurs, and UN staff.
UNAMA wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, that during the visit, entrepreneurs — including women — met with Otunbayeva, and requested support to facilitate access to new markets, particularly in Uzbekistan.
UNAMA further stated that among these entrepreneurs was a group of women who, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had established a tailoring workshop.
They expressed their appreciation for the support received and spoke about the significant growth and development of their business.
UNAMA added that the organization remains committed to promoting economic opportunities and empowering Afghan communities, especially women.
Anand Prakash, head of the Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, met with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul for talks on various issues.
According to a press release issued Sunday by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, bilateral political relations, trade, transit and recent political developments in the region were discussed in the meeting.
Muttaqi stressed the need for the expansion of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries and explained that Afghanistan currently offers favorable opportunities for investment. He said Indian investors should take advantage of these opportunities.
He also said that facilities should be created for the movement of people between Afghanistan and India and the issuance of visas for medical purposes, students and businessmen should return to normal.
Meanwhile, Prakash said that relations with Afghanistan are important for India and he hopes that these relations will expand further in various fields.
He stressed that India will continue its cooperation with Afghanistan and wants to invest in some infrastructure projects and restart projects that were paused for some time.
The two sides also emphasized the expansion of relations, the exchange of delegations, visa facilitation and bilateral cooperation.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said in a phone call with his Uzbek counterpart that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project.
During the call, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as expanding political, economic and transit cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul said in a statement on Sunday.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov noted that Afghanistan’s exports to Uzbekistan have tripled in the first four months of 2025 compared to last year. He vowed to create more facilities in the field of trade and transit between the two countries, especially in issuing visas to Afghan citizens.
Meanwhile, Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of major economic projects such as the Trans-Afghan railway project and for the strengthening of political, trade and transit cooperation with Uzbekistan. He said that the existing opportunities should be utilized for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
The two sides also discussed the holding of a trilateral meeting between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan at the level of foreign ministers and agreed to coordinate through diplomatic channels to determine the exact date and place of the meeting.
The three neighboring countries signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistan seaports, with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion to enhance regional economic connectivity.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Uzbek foreign minister last Thursday to discuss the Trans-Afghan railway project.
Dar expressed hope that the three countries would soon sign a framework agreement on this important regional project.
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