NATO says it will withdraw all troops from Afghanistan, in line with the U.S. commitment to withdraw.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the withdrawal of about 7,000 NATO troops at a news conference Wednesday (April 14) after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and Defense Secretary Austin.
“We will start withdrawing ‘NATO Resolute Support’ forces by May 1,” Stoltenberg said Wednesday. “We plan to complete the full withdrawal within a few months.”
He said:We went into Afghanistan together, we adjusted our military deployment together, and we are united in leaving together.” He added that any attack against NATO forces being withdrawn would be met with a firm and robust NATO response.
The U.S. and NATO say the withdrawal is not an abandonment of Afghanistan.
File photo: U.S. Marines pass a Danish Army Leopard 2A5 tank during a patrol along a major traffic route northeast of the city of Marja, Afghanistan. (Feb. 21, 2010)
File photo: U.S. Marines pass a Danish Army Leopard 2A5 tank during a patrol along a major traffic route northeast of Marjah, Afghanistan. (Feb. 21, 2010)
“The withdrawal of our forces does not mean an end to our relationship with Afghanistan or our support for this country,” Blinken said. “Our support, our engagement and our resolve remain.”
The Biden administration ended months of speculation about what U.S. plans are in place in Afghanistan. He said Tuesday that troops still in Afghanistan will be withdrawn by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. On that day 20 years ago, al-Qaida terrorists hijacked airliners and crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon on the edge of Washington, D.C.
On the same day, another domestic airliner, United Airlines Flight 93, was hijacked by four al-Qaida terrorists and crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
These terrorist attacks prompted the U.S. to overthrow the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, where the military presence eventually expanded to more than 130,000 troops from 50 NATO and partner nations. Since 2015, coalition forces in Afghanistan have been tasked with training and assisting Afghan forces, with fewer than 10,000 troops currently remaining.
U.S. officials have said the decision to leave Afghanistan will be made in conjunction with NATO allies.
Discussions between the U.S. and NATO on Wednesday focused on the Russia-Ukraine border, where Russia has been amassing troops.
Stoltenberg called Russia’s behavior “aggressive” and said Russia must “stop provocations and reduce tensions.
In his first day in Brussels Tuesday, Blinken said the United States “stands firmly behind the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Ukraine.
The White House said President Biden also “underscored the United States’ unwavering commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
“The president expressed our concern about Russia’s sudden military buildup on the occupied Crimea and Ukraine border and called on Russia to reduce tensions,” the White House said in a statement about the conversation. The statement also said Biden “proposed a summit in a third country in the coming months to discuss all issues facing the United States and Russia.”
According to Ukrainian and U.S. officials, the Kremlin is conducting the largest mobilization of troops, tanks and missiles on the Ukrainian border since the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014. Russia has conducted at least three military drills near the Ukrainian border since mid-March.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba on Tuesday expressed confidence that the West would also act to curb Russian aggression. He said Ukraine will be forced to pay too high a price if it is not checked and balanced.
Two U.S. warships are scheduled to arrive in the Black Sea this week amid escalating fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine.
The conflict began with Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014 and has killed about 14,000 people since then, according to the Ukrainian government.
Kuleba said Ukraine “does not want war” and is “committed to resolving this conflict through diplomatic and political means.”
But while emphasizing his support for NATO, Kuleba also said, “If Russia makes any reckless moves or starts a new round of violence, the price will be high in every sense of the word.”
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