No one interested in renewed Afghan civil war: Blinken

KABUL (Pajhwok): US secretary of state Antony Blinken has admitted that a civil war or Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is ‘certainly a possible scenario’ but insisted the US is ‘not disengaging.

Talking to the CNN, Blinken said the US will continue to be ‘deeply engaged’ in supporting Afghanistan long after troops have left.

He admitted that a civil war or Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is ‘certainly a possible scenario’ when the US withdraws all its troops from the country by September 11.

Blinken told CNN’s Jake Tapper Tuesday the Biden administration is ‘planning for every scenario’ that could arise from the move.

Joe Biden announced earlier this month that the US will withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by September 11 2021.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has admitted that a civil war or Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is ‘certainly a possible scenario’ when the US withdraws all its troops from the country by September 11

But the decision has divided opinion with some officials and lawmakers voicing concerns that pulling troops too quickly could lead to retaliation from the Taliban.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who is on the Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN ‘it’s difficult to see a scenario that doesn’t end in civil war or a Taliban takeover.’

Blinken addressed these concerns Tuesday, admitting that unrest is a possible consequence.

‘That is certainly a possible scenario,’ he said.

But he added ‘Now no one has an interest in renewed civil war in Afghanistan, certainly the Afghan people don’t.”

He urged what he described as ‘free riders’ in the region to start using their ‘influence’ to help keep the country stable.

About afghan security and defense forces, the secretary of state said: ‘We have trained over the years more than 300,000 of them so all to that remains and there are different actors are work now who I hope will keep moving this in a more positive than negative direction.’

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