US troop pullout invites attention to redistribution of roles in Afghanistan

Nahla Abdelmonem

The situation in Afghanistan is coming at the center of debate around the world, even as some countries are proposing solutions to the country’s problems.

The camps of terrorist groups are one reason why Afghanistan is a debatable issue. The nature of the solutions proposed for the country’s problems themselves are also one reason for the debate.

The United States is downsizing its troop presence in Afghanistan in the light of an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020.

The Pentagon said on January 15, 2020 that it would reduce the number of US troops in the Asian state to 2,500. This will be the smallest number of US troops to be deployed in Afghanistan since the American invasion of the country in 2001.

There are questions now about whether this troop downsizing will augur a full US withdrawal from Afghanistan. There are questions also about whether this stated downsizing will be a new American maneuver to keep Afghanistan tense.

The United States was keen to ensure that Afghanistan would not be used in the future to attack its interests either inside or outside it.

American strategy

The agreement the US signed with the Taliban in February 2020 stipulates American withdrawal in return for assurances by the Taliban that it would not cooperate with al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization against the United States.

The same agreement opens the door for negotiations between Afghan parties, including through the exchange of prisoners between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

Reducing American troop presence to zero is one of the demands made by the Taliban during the talks with the Americans.