U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken made a surprise flight to Afghanistan on Thursday (April 15) to explain to the country’s leaders and the international community the decision by President Joe Biden to withdraw troops and end the war.
Blinken plans to meet with Afghan President Ghani and Abdullah, chief executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s national unity government, among other leaders.
Ahead of the visit, Blinken announced that the U.S. will withdraw 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
U.S. troops entered Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. At most, the U.S. military had a presence of more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Immediately after the U.S. announced its withdrawal plan, NATO followed suit, stating that it would complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan within a few months. Currently, about 7,000 NATO troops (in addition to U.S. troops) remain in Afghanistan.
Blinken will try to convince the Afghan government that the withdrawal of U.S. troops does not mean the end of relations between the two countries.
The Associated Press quoted Blinken as saying, “I hope this visit demonstrates that the commitment the United States has made to this Islamic Republic and to the Afghan people will remain in effect.”
Blinken made the remarks during a meeting with President Ghani in Kabul. Blinken said, “Partnerships change, but this relationship is long-lasting.”
Ghani told Blinken, “We respect the decision and we will adjust our priorities as well.”
Abdullah, chief executive of the Afghan National Unity Government, expressed Afghanistan’s gratitude to Blinken for the United States, the American people and the U.S. government.
Blinken arrived in Brussels before flying to Afghanistan, where he and U.S. Defense Secretary Austin briefed NATO leaders on the U.S. decision.
Both the Biden administration and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg argued that the United States and NATO had completed their mission in Afghanistan by eliminating the bin Laden terrorist network that carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks and clearing the country of terrorists.
However, this argument has been refuted by some U.S. lawmakers and human rights activists. They argue that a U.S. withdrawal would result in the Afghan people losing the freedoms they have enjoyed since the overthrow of the Taliban regime.
Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are currently at a standstill. Turkey announced last week that it would convene an international peace conference on Afghanistan, but the proposal was resisted by the Taliban. There is widespread concern that after the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the Afghan government and the Taliban cannot reach a consensus on power distribution, and that this power vacuum will lead to another outbreak of conflict between the two sides.
The U.S. hopes that the conference will allow the Afghan government and the Taliban to reach an agreement on the formation of some kind of interim unity government and set out a roadmap for the country’s development.
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