KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Thursday to sell Afghan leaders and a wary public over President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all US troops from the country and end America’s longest war.
Blinken tried to assure senior Afghan politicians that the United States remains committed to the country, despite Biden’s announcement the day before that the 2,500 American soldiers left in the country would be returning home. to the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that led to the US invasion in 2001.
“I wanted to show with my visit that the United States is constantly committed to the Islamic Republic and the people of Afghanistan,” Blinken told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani when they met in the presidential palace in Kabul. “The partnership is changing, but the partnership itself is sustainable.”
“We respect the decision and adjust our priorities,” Ghani told Blinken, grateful for the sacrifices of the US forces.
Later, during a meeting with Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the National Reconciliation Council, Blinken reiterated his message, saying, “We have a new chapter, but it’s a new chapter that we are writing together.”
“We are grateful to your people, your country, your administration,” said Abdullah.
NATO immediately followed Biden’s lead on Wednesday, saying that its approximately 7,000 non-US troops in Afghanistan would be leaving in Afghanistan in a matter of months, ending the foreign military presence that had been a reality for a generation of Afghans already in the recovering was more than 40 years old. of conflict.
Blinken arrived in the Afghan capital from Brussels, where he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin briefed NATO officials of the US decision and quickly gained allies approval to end their Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.
Biden, Blinken and Austin have all tried to put a bold face to the withdrawal, claiming that the US and NATO-led missions to Afghanistan had achieved their goal of decimating Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network that launched the September 11 attacks, clearing the country of terrorist elements that could use Afghan soil to plan similar strikes.
However, that argument was pushed back by some US lawmakers and human rights activists, who say the withdrawal will result in the loss of freedoms enjoyed by the Afghans after the Taliban was removed from power in late 2001.
“My views are very pessimistic,” Naheed Farid, an MP, told reporters when asked about her views on the future of her country. Farid was one of six, mostly female, civic leaders who met Blinken at the US Embassy in Kabul. She did not explain.
Despite billions of dollars in aid, 20 years after the invasion, more than half of Afghanistan’s 36 million people live on less than $ 1.90 a day, according to World Bank figures. According to the Georgetown Institute for Women Peace and Security, Afghanistan is also considered one of the worst countries in the world for women’s rights and welfare.
For many Afghans, the past two decades have been disappointing, as corruption has caught up with successive governments and powerful warlords have amassed wealth and loyal militias well-armed. Many Afghans fear that the chaos will worsen as soon as America leaves.
Peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are at an impasse, but should resume in Istanbul later this month.
According to an agreement signed between the Trump administration and the Taliban last year, the US would have completed its military withdrawal on May 1. Although Biden exceeds that deadline and angers the Taliban leadership, his plan calls for the withdrawal to begin in May. 1. NATO withdrawal begins the same day.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed warned on Wednesday that “the problems will intensify” if the US fails to meet the May 1 withdrawal deadline. The insurgent movement has yet to respond to Biden’s surprise announcement that the withdrawal would not begin until that date.
“It is time to end America’s longest war,” Biden said in his Washington announcement Tuesday, but added that the US “will not rush to the exit.”
Biden, along with Blinken and Austin in Brussels, promised that the US would remain committed to Afghanistan’s population and development.
“Bringing our troops home does not mean ending our relationship with Afghanistan or our support for the country,” Blinken said. “Our support, commitment and determination will remain.”
Austin said that after withdrawing from Afghanistan, the US military will maintain its “counter-terrorism capabilities” in the region to keep pressure on extremist groups operating in Afghanistan. When asked for details, he declined to elaborate on where those US troops would be located or in what numbers.
Associated Press Writer Kathy Gannon in Islamabad contributed to this report.