“Collective Responsibility”: Why the US is in no hurry to withdraw troops from Afghanistan

Acting head of the Pentagon, Patrick Shanahan, said the United States would not unilaterally withdraw troops from Afghanistan. According to him, all actions on this issue will be taken in coordination with NATO member countries. Earlier, the head of the defense department visited Kabul, where he assured American commanders that he had not received an order from Donald Trump to begin withdrawing troops. At the same time, the administration of the US president is negotiating with the Taliban * on the cessation of hostilities. Experts believe that Washington wants to force its allies to take a more active part in solving the Afghan issue. At the same time, analysts believe that the White House may try to shift responsibility for the unsuccessful operation in the Islamic republic to other states.

Washington will not unilaterally withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Acting Head of Pentagon Patrick Shanahan said on February 14. He added that all actions on this issue will be undertaken in cooperation with NATO member countries.

“Some countries are ready to increase their presence in Afghanistan, and others to extend it. The situation in Afghanistan remains difficult, but we also see the ongoing negotiation process. Our mission “Resolute support” continues to train, supply and support national forces and create conditions for peace, ”Shanakhan said after a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

In turn, the Secretary General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO will continue to finance the army of the Afghan government.

“We will continue to support the Afghan forces, providing them with training and funding. We intend to continue the fight against terrorism and create conditions for peace in this country, ”he cites TASS.

All for one

Donald Trump wants to extend to the NATO allies "collective responsibility" for everything that is happening in Afghanistan, said American conversation and political scientist Dmitry Drobnitsky in a conversation with RT.

“This is understood as the withdrawal of troops, and an agreement with the other side of the conflict. This is exactly what Patrick Shanahan is doing now. Washington wants more countries to participate in all NATO and US operations, primarily in terms of financing, ”the expert explained.

However, this means that the members of the alliance should be involved in the negotiation process itself.

“Bilateral agreements with the Taliban will not be very valuable unless all NATO members subscribe to them. Such a statement by Shanakhan is a kind of signal that the NATO countries need to coordinate their position and begin to act synchronously with the United States, ”added Dmitry Drobnitsky.

European reinsurance

Earlier, the publication Deutche Welle reported that the German authorities have already decided to extend the military presence in Afghanistan for a year. Information about this appeared the day after the German media disclosed the content of a special document on Afghanistan, signed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, the heads of the Ministry of Defense and the German Foreign Ministry.

The document allegedly expressed doubts about the fact that Washington will be able to advance in the process of peace negotiations with representatives of the Taliban, while the German side is willing to provide a platform for the next round of negotiations with the Taliban.

Taliban fighters
Reuters

The document also allegedly notes the need to revise the actions of the German army in Afghanistan in the event of a "substantial reduction" of the American military presence. Today in operation "Strong support" is attended by about 1.2 thousand employees of the Bundeswehr, who are mainly engaged in the preparation and training of Afghan soldiers and security forces.

At the moment, with the official position on Afghanistan, one more NATO country has been defined - the Czech Republic. Thus, the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic, Lubomir Metnar, said that the country would withdraw its troops from Afghanistan if the American contingent was withdrawn from there.

For the war - against Trump

In late January, Reuters reported that the special envoy of the US Secretary of State for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, was able to reach with representatives of the Taliban movement preliminary agreement on the end of the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

The agreement provides for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the state 18 months after the signing and formal approval of the relevant agreement. The Taliban, in turn, promise that the territory of Afghanistan will not be used as a base by the terrorist groups Al-Qaeda ** and the Islamic State ***.

After reports of these talks appeared, the American media attacked the Trump administration for trying to reach an agreement with the Taliban. For example, CNN television said that the US withdrawal from the country will play into the hands of the Kremlin.

“While Trump is considering a strategy for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, Moscow has joined the situation,” warns CNN.

"The former US ambassador to Afghanistan considers the exit strategy chosen by Trump to be a huge mistake," said Intelligencer magazine.

Other publications argued that the US withdrawal from the country would worsen the human rights situation.

“Will the US betray the interests of Afghan women in negotiations with the Taliban?” The newspaper Inquirer asks.

The Atlantic magazine in its article argued that the White House’s attempt to negotiate a truce with the Taliban directly deprives the Afghan government of legitimacy.

“The authorities of the country do not participate in the peace process in Afghanistan,” reports The Atlantic.

Agency Bloomberg claims that the withdrawal of US troops will repeat the experience of the USSR and lead to a worsening of the situation in the country.

"Trump's desire to quickly make a deal with the Taliban threatens deja va Afghanistan," writes Bloomberg.

Such sentiments in the media reflect the position of leading American military leaders, as well as the military lobby, Dmitry Drobnitsky said in an interview with RT.

"The establishment of Washington, undoubtedly, will resist any withdrawal of troops, which Trump has announced," the political scientist believes.

Conflict history

Pentagon Acting Head Patrick Shanahan visited Afghanistan on February 11. Despite Trump's statements about a possible withdrawal, Shanakhan told reporters and army commanders who had met him that he had arrived in Kabul without an order to reduce the American contingent.

Patrick Shanahan during his visit to Kabul
Reuters
© Idrees Ali

The US and NATO military campaign in Afghanistan began in December 2001 and has been going on for more than 17 years. Its goal was to destroy al-Qaida - the administration of George W. Bush put the responsibility of organizing the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001, on the leader of the terrorist group, Osama bin Laden.

The operation reached its peak in the early 2010s, when more than 150,000 foreign troops were in Afghanistan. In 2014, Barack Obama significantly reduced the American presence in the country - to 14 thousand soldiers and instructors of the US and NATO army. The result of this 17-year campaign for Washington turned out to be disappointing, experts say. By 2019, about 65% of the country's population is living in areas under the influence of the Taliban.

Word and deed

The discrepancy between the rhetoric of the White House in relation to Afghanistan and practical steps speaks about the internal political confrontation between Trump and the hawks from the Pentagon and the US Congress, Dmitry Drobnitsky notes.

“The US always has a framework concept, but Washington has not had a common foreign policy for a long time. The position of such agencies as the Pentagon, the CIA, the State Department and the presidential administration always comes to the fore, ”the political analyst told RT.

For the Pentagon, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan means admitting defeat, it will always resist this, the expert added.

“In addition, the Pentagon is greatly influenced by hawks who want the United States everywhere to be present and to fight. Therefore, mixed signals from various departments of the United States will always come, as each unit conducts its own policy, ”explained Drobnitsky.

This opinion is also shared by Kirill Koktysh, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Theory, MGIMO. According to him, Washington would like to transfer responsibility for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the failure of the 17-year military campaign to someone, but has not yet decided on which states.

“The military in the United States does not want to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and are afraid of destabilization of the situation in this country. The United States finds itself in a difficult situation, to remain - to have very limited control capabilities, and to leave - to get a catastrophe, since the current leadership of Afghanistan, which Washington supports, may not retain power in this case, ”concluded the expert.

* “Taliban” - an organization recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.

** Al-Qaida - an organization recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.

*** "Islamic State" (IG) - the organization is recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014.