Deadline for foreign troop exit may not be met

KABUL (Pajhwok): All foreign troops may not exit Afghanistan by the end of April — a deadline agreed between the Taliban and the United States.

The US-Taliban peace deal signed in Doha last year envisages the full withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan by the end of May.

“There will be no full withdrawal by allies by April-end,” one NATO official told the news agency. “Conditions have not been met,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

“And with the new US administration, there will be tweaks in policy, the sense of hasty withdrawal which was prevalent will be addressed and we could see a much more calculated exit strategy.”

NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said: “No NATO ally wants to stay in Afghanistan longer than necessary, but we have been clear that our presence remains conditions-based,”

She added NATO allies continued to assess the overall situation in Afghanistan and to consult on the way forward.

About 10,000 foreign troops, including Americans, are currently stationed in Afghanistan. Those levels are expected to stay the same until after May. But the plan beyond that is not clear.

On Friday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration was “taking a hard look” at how the Taliban were complying with the February 29 peace pact.

Sullivan called upon the Taliban to participate in real, not fake, peace negotiations with the government of President Ashraf Ghani.

With the peace negotiations in Doha stalled, violence levels in Afghanistan remain high, sparking concerns among the Americans and their allies.

PAN Monitor/mud

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