The alliance will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan “before the time is right”

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 Brussels, Feb 15 (AFP/APP): NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday the alliance will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan “before the time is right”, ahead of a discussion by defence ministers on the deployment.

The ministers of the 30 NATO member states will on Wednesday and Thursday hold their highest-level talks since US President Joe Biden took office vowing to work closer with allies after four years of tensions under Donald Trump. Top of the agenda for the virtual conference will be the fate of the alliance’s 9,600-strong support mission in Afghanistan after Trump struck a deal with the Taliban to withdraw troops. The deployment’s future hinges on whether Biden agrees to stick to a May deadline to pull out foreign forces or risks a bloody backlash from the Islamist insurgents by staying put. “While no ally wants to stay in Afghanistan longer than necessary, we will not leave before the time is right,” Stoltenberg told a media conference.

“Ministers will continue to assess the situation on the ground and monitor developments very closely.” Biden’s administration says it is reviewing the deal, and the Pentagon has accused the Taliban of not fulfilling promises that include reducing attacks and cutting ties to insurgent groups like Al-Qaeda. Defence ministers are not expected to make a concrete announcement on the deployment’s future at their meeting.

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