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Despite the warnings, the US president wants to bring in troops from Afghanistan and Iraq soon. After all, it refrains from carrying out military strikes against the Iranian nuclear program.
Islamists could benefit from a pullout: US soldiers in Afghanistan’s Urusgan region.
Photo: Reuters
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, will remain in the White House for just over 60 days. But he apparently wants to make sure his security and foreign legacy lasts much longer, and that his chosen successor, Joe Biden, is linked.
His advisers convinced him of the most dangerous idea after a report in the New York Times. Trump asked what options he had for taking military action against the Iranian nuclear program. However, plans for an accelerated one are likely to continue moving forward. US soldiers withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq – with far-reaching consequences for the region, but also for our European allies.
American attacks on Iranian-controlled militias in Iraq remain conceivable.
Chancellor Mike Pompeo and Chief of Staff Mark Milley had warned Trump that an attack on major nuclear facilities in Iran, for example, could spark a war in the region. After that, the advisers left the meeting with the impression that a hit to targets in Iran was off the table. An attack against Iranian-controlled militias, for example in Iraq, is still conceivable.
In Iraq, the president also wants to reduce the US presence again. By January 15, five days before handover to his elected successor, Joe Biden, the contingent will be reduced from around 3,000 to 2,500 soldiers. However, the Trump administration has never explained how another US withdrawal would help reduce Iran’s already heavy influence in the neighboring country. A withdrawal would also have an impact on the fight against the growing Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia.
Dangerous consequences for Afghanistan
But the consequences for Afghanistan would undoubtedly be much more drastic. Even there, Trump wants to slash US troops before the end of his term, from the current 4,500 to 2,500 troops. Once again, the president skips his own schedule, which in its original form has already put the Afghan government under severe time constraints. Many Afghans worry that a hasty withdrawal will undo progress in their country and that the Taliban will try to seize power and a civil war will break out.
At the end of February, Trump’s negotiators had negotiated a bilateral agreement with the Taliban in Doha, according to which the Western military mission should end after a good 20 years by the end of April 2021. The Afghan government did not participate in these talks. . He must now quickly negotiate a power-sharing with the Taliban, provided the protective power can reasonably balance the pressure of the Islamists.
“Afghans are deeply concerned about what Trump is doing in the last days of his term.”
The Afghan government hopes that Joe Biden after his inauguration “will do it differently and slow down the total withdrawal of US troops,” said British-Pakistani publicist and Taliban expert Ahmed Rashid when asked. “Afghans are deeply concerned about what Trump is doing in the last days of his term. And this will certainly encourage the Taliban to expand their military offensive again, because many Taliban commanders want all power in the country. “
Representatives of the Kabul government and the Taliban are also negotiating a roadmap for the intra-Afghan peace process in Doha. However, there has not yet been any substantial progress. The Taliban have carried out a series of attacks to demonstrate their military strength.
A new IS caliphate could emerge in Afghanistan
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned the US president, who was still in office, against a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. The price for leaving the country too quickly or uncoordinated could be too high, the Norwegian said on Tuesday following US media reports. Afghanistan threatens to become a haven for international terrorists planning attacks against NATO countries. Furthermore, according to Stoltenberg, ISIS could establish a new terrorist caliphate in Afghanistan, which it lost in Syria and Iraq.
Top Republicans in the US Congress also warn against a premature withdrawal from Afghanistan.
There are also criticisms of Donald Trump’s plans in the United States. Top Republicans in Congress have warned against a premature withdrawal from Afghanistan. “There is no American who does not wish that the war in Afghanistan against the terrorists and their helpers has already been finally won. But that does not change the real decision that lies ahead, “said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.” A swift withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan would harm our allies and please the people who want to harm us. ” McConnell explicitly praised Trump for his successes in fighting terrorism in Iraq and Syria, which a hasty withdrawal could, however, undo.
The highest-ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, issued a warning: “A hasty withdrawal by the United States would not only jeopardize the Afghan government’s bargaining power, it would also jeopardize endangers the interests of the United States with a view to fighting terrorism. ”
The war in Afghanistan is the longest in American history. Since 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, soldiers from the United States and other Western nations have been stationed in the country in the Hindu Kush. Since then, Islamists have been fighting in Afghanistan for the withdrawal of international troops.
