According to a new report citing senior North American Treaty Organization (NATO) commanders, coalition forces will not be leaving Afghanistan by May, a deadline Donald Trump hoped to meet as president.
“There will be no full withdrawal by allies by April-end,” one NATO official told Reuters.
According to the source, “conditions have not been met” to justify a full-scale withdrawal, and the new administration will likely present “tweaks in policy.”
“With the new US administration, there will be tweaks in the policy, the sense of hasty withdrawal which was prevalent will be addressed and we could see a much more calculated exit strategy,” he said.
Trump had been adamant during his presidency about bringing troops home and ending the 20-year war that rages on in Afghanistan. His administration negotiated with Taliban forces last year for a full-scale withdrawal by May of this year, should conditions stabilize in the country and on the condition that the Taliban sever ties with terrorist groups and enter into peace negotiations with the Afghan government.
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The former president also ordered the Pentagon to remove thousands of troops by mid-January, leaving only 2,500 US troops in the country, the lowest number since 2001.
“Allies continue to assess the overall situation and to consult on the way forward,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.
A spokesperson for the Taliban told Reuters the group remains hopeful the US will leave the country by the end of the year.
“Our expectations are also that NATO will think to end this war and avoid more excuses for prolonging the war in Afghanistan,” the spokesperson said. (RT)