It has been decided to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by September 11 this year, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks
Karachi … News Time
US President Joe Biden has released a final timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. In his address to the nation, he said that 20 years after the 9/11 attacks, there was no justification for US troops to remain in Afghanistan. The US president believes that the goals of the Afghan war have been achieved, al-Qaeda has disbanded, bin Laden has reached the point of punishment and now is the time to end this longest US war. Even the American intellectuals themselves are confused about the 9/11 tragedy, its motives and the role of Afghanistan in this tragic but mind-blowing operation. The use of passenger jumbo jets in the style of the latest missiles to destroy skyscrapers has not yet been understood by shipping experts. Not a single Afghan was among the 19 people named in the alleged terrorist attack. All of them came to the United States on legal documents with visas and had been training to fly here for months. It is rather surprising that the hijacked planes by these trainee pilots are so skillfully attached to buildings like a dagger that the whiplash manual is not even seen in the aerial tricks of the trained pilots.
According to the US investigative report, Afghanistan’s role in the whole affair was such that the Taliban in power there sheltered Osama bin Laden in their country. The United States has demanded that Osama bin Laden be extradited, with the Taliban demanding that an independent body investigate bin Laden’s involvement in the incident. The Taliban has condemned terrorism, saying it would punish the alleged al-Qaeda leader himself if Osama bin Laden was found responsible for the horrific incident. But even before a cursory investigation, the United States invaded Afghanistan on October 7, just 28 days after the incident. Preparations for this grand campaign in a short period of four weeks have also taken military experts by surprise. We apologize for the inconvenience and return to our topic.
In his address to the American people, President Biden said that after the 9/11 attacks, when President George W. Bush decided to attack terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan, he supported it. During his tenure as Vice President, he visited Afghanistan himself and spent some time in areas such as the Kunar Valley, which reinforced his view that the Afghan leadership must play its part in finding a lasting political solution in Afghanistan. U.S and coalition forces do not guarantee a stable government in Afghanistan. I am the fourth US president to represent the US military presence in Afghanistan, after two Republicans and two Democrats who have worked to end the war in Afghanistan. And now that responsibility should not go to the fifth president. The US president said that after consultations with Vice President Kamala Harris, NATO allies, the military leadership and members of Congress, he had decided to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. At the same time, he assured the Kabul administration that the US government would continue to support international efforts to facilitate peace talks and train the Afghan army.
It is difficult to estimate the price paid by the Afghans for this hobby of American leaders, but Uncle Sam blew ہزار 10,000 billion to appease the evil ego, and nearly two and a half thousand young men died. And thousands of disabled young Rana have become a symbol. Demonstrating traditional American arrogance in acknowledging military failure, President Biden threatened to retaliate with force if U.S and allied forces were attacked during the withdrawal. He also reminded the Taliban of his promise that Afghan soil would not be used for terrorism against any country. Political observers believe that these two statements were to reassure the American people that we are not retreating, but are returning to the Taliban on condition that this assurance is already included in the Qatar agreement. In his speech, he reiterated Domore’s traditional demand from Pakistan that more steps be expected from Islamabad for peace in Afghanistan.
Before proceeding, it is important to note that Pakistan’s traditional rival has expressed concerns over the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has expressed concern that the vacuum created by the withdrawal of NATO forces could be filled by terrorists and that Pakistan could reap huge benefits from its long-standing ties with the Taliban. The announcement came as a surprise to President Biden, who took office in January, criticizing the Qatar peace deal as “irresponsible and hasty.” He said NATO’s withdrawal before a peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban could destabilize Afghanistan and the region as a whole. Seeing the changing nature of the United States, NATO also expressed the idea of staying there for some more time. Meanwhile, at the behest of the US President, the CIA and the US military took a detailed look at the ground situation. According to the report of this study submitted to the US President, the situation in Afghanistan is depressing and no peace agreement is likely until next year. The Taliban have the upper hand on every front, and experts believe that it is not possible for the government forces to stay in front of the Taliban for long. The report fears that the withdrawal of allies will worsen the situation.
The Taliban, on the other hand, has threatened to target US troops directly if the withdrawal is not completed by May, according to the Qatar agreement. Given this threat, President Biden wants to get his troops out as soon as possible. With this decision, allies, subordinates and facilitators were taken into confidence. On April 14, US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken called General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Commander of the Pakistan Army, and informed him about the withdrawal. Issues of mutual interest, the regional situation and the Afghan peace process were discussed in detail. According to the Army Public Relations Office, General Bajwa pledged his full support to Afghan peace efforts.
To take the NATO leadership into confidence, the US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense arrived in Brussels, where after talks with top diplomatic and military leaders, the two leaders spoke to reporters, along with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenber. Mr Stoltenberg told reporters that the withdrawal of 7,000 NATO troops from Afghanistan, along with the US military, would begin on May 1 and that the withdrawal would be completed by September 11. Britain has already announced that it will withdraw all its troops by September. Currently, 750 British military experts are training government troops at the Kabul Academy.
In Kabul, Secretary of State Anthony Blanken himself visited Kabul to brief his supporters on US intentions. As usual, no one was aware of the visit in advance, and it was announced after Minister Batdabir’s return flight from Kabul. During his stay in Kabul, the US Secretary of State held separate meetings with Dr. Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah at the Presidential Palace. Mr Blankenship assured his Afghan friends that the United States would continue to support the Afghan government even after the withdrawal. At the US Embassy in Kabul, Mr. Blankenship met with Afghan socio-political leaders. Hezb-e-Islami chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar did not attend the meeting. Mr. Hekmatyar is not in favor of meeting with US officials before the complete withdrawal of foreign troops. At the same time, new dates for the Afghan Peace Conference were announced. Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations have said in a joint statement that an extraordinary conference between representatives of Afghanistan and the Taliban will take place in Istanbul May 24-4. Earlier, the meeting was scheduled to take place on the 16th of this month.
President Biden is facing opposition from US nationalists and conservatives over his decision to withdraw. Her own Democratic senator, Jane Shaheen, said she was “disappointed” by President Biden’s decision to set a September deadline for withdrawing from Afghanistan. Although the United States has made this decision in consultation with its allies, the United States has made many sacrifices to bring stability to Afghanistan and is now leaving without a credible assurance of a secure future. Linde Graham, a senior Republican leader and deputy senator on the Senate Budget Committee, said President Biden did not end the war but expanded it. The American nation is losing its insurance policy against another 9/11. Senate Opposition Leader Mitch McConnell called the withdrawal from Afghanistan a “big mistake, a setback and recognition of the Taliban’s victory.”
Is the new military withdrawal milestone acceptable to the Taliban? In this regard, the Taliban’s indications are in the negative. The Taliban insists the United States respects the Qatar agreement, which set a May 1 target for the withdrawal of foreign troops. A Taliban spokesman said in a statement that the Taliban were sincerely abiding by the Qatar agreement, and that if the United States did not keep its promise, it would be responsible for all losses. The Taliban are also unwilling to attend the Afghan peace conference in Istanbul, saying they would not attend any meeting to shape the Afghan future before the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. On Sunday, Taliban spokesman Dr. Muhammad Naeem said the Taliban would not make a decision on their participation before announcing a new withdrawal date (May 1).
The Pentagon, meanwhile, has begun temporarily sending additional troops to Afghanistan. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said more troops would be sent to Afghanistan next week or month to secure the withdrawal. Like the Turkish foreign minister, Kirby did not elaborate, but said that Afghanistan is a landlocked country and an attack on a returning army is not out of the question. Steps are being considered. It appears that the new withdrawal schedule is unacceptable to the Taliban, and that their participation in the Istanbul Afghan Peace Conference is currently unlikely. However, Washington press circles say that Zalmai Khalilzad is in touch with the Taliban and as an expression of his sincerity and trust and goodwill for the evacuation, he is offering some additional concessions to the Taliban, including all prisoners of war. Release and removal of Taliban leaders from terrorist list 5,000 Taliban prisoners were released after the Qatar agreement, but about 7,000 Taliban are still being held by the Afghan government. That is, at the end of a long tunnel of despair, there is a faint glimmer of hope.
