NATO defence ministers to discuss future of Afghan mission

The 30 NATO defence ministers are due to discuss via videoconference on Thursday whether to withdraw international troops from Afghanistan by the end of April as per an agreement with the Taliban despite the precarious security situation there.

NATO seems poised to stay put in Afghanistan, with the alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arguing that the radical Islamist militant group has failed to stick to their side of the bargain.

“The Taliban has to reduce violence, the Taliban has to negotiate in good faith, and the Taliban has to break all ties, has to stop supporting international terrorist groups like al-Qaeda,” Stoltenberg said Wednesday.

But scrapping the deadline risks confrontation with the Taliban which has already threatened reprisals if the withdrawal doesn’t go ahead.

Germany – which has the second largest share of the roughly 10,000 NATO and partner-country troops in Afghanistan – has spoken out in favour of staying in the country for now.

A formal decision is not expected at Thursday’s meeting, as new US President Joe Biden reviews the policy course set out by his predecessor Donald Trump.

Under the Trump administration, the US signed an agreement with the Taliban that provides for the gradual withdrawal of all NATO forces from the country by the end of April. In return, the Taliban committed to renouncing violence and entering peace talks with the government.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in order to stop the country serving as a haven for international terrorists. NATO allies and partners followed after.

Close to two decades of bloody conflict have claimed the lives of more than 40,000 Afghan civilians, and cost hundreds of billions of dollars.

The Taliban has continued carrying out attacks in various parts of the country despite the start of direct peace talks between the internationally-backed Afghan government and the militants in Qatar in mid-September.

The NATO defence ministers are also scheduled to discuss the Iraq mission on Thursday, which is due to be beefed up to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State group.