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NATO chief Warns against Hasty Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday warned against a hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and said the price for leaveing too soon could “be very high”.
NATO currently has less than 12,000 troops from dozens of countries in Afghanistan, while the US is now down to around 4,500.
This comes after US President Donald Trump’s expected drawdown of troops before he leaves office in January.
Stoltenberg said in a Tuesday statement: “We now face a difficult decision. We have been in Afghanistan for almost 20 years, and no NATO ally wants to stay any longer than necessary. But at the same time, the price for leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way could be very high.”
He said the country still “risks becoming once again a platform for international terrorists to plan and organize attacks on our homelands. And ISIS (Daesh) could rebuild in Afghanistan the terror caliphate it lost in Syria and Iraq.”
AP reported, along with other news agencies, that US officials said military leaders were told over the weekend about the planned withdrawal and that an executive order is planned but has not yet been delivered to commanders.
Stoltenberg said that “even with further US reductions, NATO will continue its mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces. We are also committed to funding them through 2024.”
NATO’s security operation in the country is its biggest and most ambitious undertaking ever. It was launched after the military alliance activated its mutual defense clause — known as Article 5 — for the first time, mobilizing all the allies in support of the United States in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, AP reported.
“Hundreds of thousands of troops from Europe and beyond have stood shoulder to shoulder with American troops in Afghanistan, and over one thousand of them have paid the ultimate price,” Stoltenberg said.
“We went into Afghanistan together. And when the time is right, we should leave together in a coordinated and orderly way. I count on all NATO allies to live up to this commitment, for our own security,” he said.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, has stated that following a special meeting of the High Commission for Addressing the Problems of Migrants, chaired by Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the process of land distribution by the Permanent Committee for Refugee Settlement has been accelerated.
Fitrat said in a statement on Friday that so far, 3,046 plots of land have been distributed by the committee to refugees who were forcibly expelled and have recently returned to the country, across various provinces.
The distribution process continues for others as well, he added.
He stated the process of providing winter assistance to returning refugees in different provinces has also been accelerated. This aid includes food and non-food items as well as cash assistance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia supports a united, independent and peaceful Afghanistan and believes in strengthening regional stability, security and constructive engagement.
He made the remarks during a ceremony to receive the credentials of Gul Hassan Hassan, the Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to Moscow.
According to a statement from the Afghan Embassy in Russia, Putin referred in his speech to recent positive developments in Afghanistan and praised measures taken by the IEA to combat narcotics and ensure security.
Gul Hassan Hassan, the Ambassador of IEA to Moscow, formally presented his credentials to President Putin at an official ceremony held at the Kremlin Palace on Thursday.
Following the presentation of credentials, the two sides held a separate meeting in which Ambassador Hassan expressed appreciation for Putin’s remarks and conveyed messages from the Leader of the Islamic Emirate, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Both sides emphasized the need to expand bilateral relations and continue cooperation.
Badruddin Haqqani, the Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to the United Arab Emirates, has met and held talks with a number of prominent Afghan elders and traders residing in the country.
According to a statement issued by the Afghan Embassy in the UAE on Friday, Afghan traders at the meeting described the Afghan Embassy as the shared home of all Afghans and said that supporting the governing system in the country is their Islamic and moral responsibility.
They also raised several commercial challenges and called on the Afghan Embassy to pay special attention to supporting the rights of Afghan workers and traders in the UAE.
Badruddin Haqqani said that serving Afghans residing in the country and defending their legitimate rights are among the embassy’s top priorities, emphasizing that comprehensive efforts will be made to create necessary facilities and address existing problems.
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