US forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan: General Bajwa welcomes President Biden’s decision

Ag Agencies

By News Desk

RAWALPINDI/ KABUL: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had welcomed President Biden’s announcement of withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan by September 2021.

The COAS was talking to Mrs Angela Ageler, US Charge d’ Affairs to Pakistan, who called on him at the GHQ on Thursday. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest and overall regional security situation, including recent developments in Afghan Peace Process, were discussed in detail.

General Bajwa reiterated that a prosperous, stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan in particular and region in general. The COAS also hoped for greater Pak-US bilateral cooperation in all domains in future.

Visiting US diplomat appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region, especially the Afghan Peace Process and also assured of US continued assistance for the common cause of peace in Afghanistan.

The Foreign Office also supported the US decision and said that it was important that the withdrawal of foreign troops from the neighbouring country coincided with the progress in the peace process.

It reiterated that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, and a negotiated political solution through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process was important for lasting peace and stability in that country.

“In this regard, we support the principle of responsible troop withdrawal in coordination with Afghan stakeholders. We also hope the US will continue to urge the Afghan leaders to seize this historic opportunity for achieving a political settlement in Afghanistan,” the FO said.

“Pakistan will continue to work together with the international community in the efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. It has been consistently supporting and facilitating the efforts for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan,” it said.

In this regard it pointed to the US-Taliban Agreement of 29 February 2020 which laid the foundation for a comprehensive intra-Afghan peace agreement including a permanent ceasefire for bringing an end to violence in Afghanistan.

“We hope that the forthcoming meeting of Afghan leadership in Turkey would be an important opportunity for Afghans to make progress towards a negotiated political settlement,” it added.

Thursday also saw an unannounced visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kabul.

The secretary of state vowed that the US will have a lasting partnership with Afghanistan even after it withdraws all forces from the country before this year´s 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Blinken met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as well as senior US officials in Kabul and briefed them on Biden´s announcement that he was ending “the forever war”, which began in response to the 2001 September 11 attacks.

“I wanted to demonstrate with my visit the ongoing commitment of the US to the Islamic Republic and the people of Afghanistan,” Blinken said after meeting Ghani.

“The partnership is changing, but the partnership is enduring.”

In a separate meeting with Abdullah Abdullah, who is leading the Afghan government side of the peace process, Blinken said it was the start of “a new chapter that we´re writing together”.

The Pentagon has around 2,500 troops in Afghanistan from a high of over 100,000. Thousands more serve as part of a 9,600-strong NATO force, which will withdraw at the same time.

Prior to meeting Ghani, Blinken visited the US embassy in Kabul and told an audience made up mostly of soldiers: “What you and your predecessors did over the last 20 years is really extraordinary.”

The delayed withdrawal — even by just over four months — has angered the Taliban, who have threatened to resume hostilities against US forces.

“It in principle opens the way for the Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate to take every necessary countermeasure,” the Taliban said in a statement released minutes after Blinken´s arrival.

However, a BBC report quoted a local Taliban leader in Balkh district Haji Hekmat saying: “We have won the war and America has lost”.

“We are ready for anything,” says Haji Hekmat. “We are totally prepared for peace, and we are fully prepared for jihad.”

NATO allies also agreed with Biden to start withdrawing their forces from Afghanistan by May 1.

An alliance statement said: “This drawdown will be orderly, coordinated, and deliberate.

“We plan to have the withdrawal of all US and Resolute Support Mission forces completed within a few months.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the allies “went into Afghanistan together, we have adjusted our posture together, and we are united in leaving together.

“This is not an easy decision and it entails risks,” he said.

“As I´ve said for many months, we face a dilemma. Because the alternative to leaving in an orderly fashion, is to be prepared for a long-term, open-ended military commitment with potentially more Nato troops.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison choked back tears as he on Thursday read the names of 41 Australians killed in Afghanistan to mark the end of his country´s involvement in the 20-year war.

Speaking at a televised news conference, Morrison said Australia would remove its remaining troops from Afghanistan in September in line with the US decision to ends its military operations there.

India, on the contrary, showed its concerned about the proposed withdrawal of United States and Nato forces from Afghanistan, Indian chief of the defence staff said

General Bipin Rawat told a security conference Thursday that the worry was “disruptors” would step into the space created by the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. He declined to name the countries that could act as spoilers.

“Our concern is that the vacuum that will be created by the withdrawal of the United States and NATO should not create space for disruptors,” Rawat said.