NATO Follows US Steps: Troops Withdraw from Afghanistan by May 1

By Staff, Agencies

Hours after the United States announced it will pull troops out by September, NATO allies agreed Wednesday to start withdrawing their forces from Afghanistan by May 1.

"This drawdown will be orderly, coordinated, and deliberate. We plan to have the withdrawal of all US and Resolute Support Mission forces completed within a few months," the statement said. 

US President Joe Biden will formally announce the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan before this year's 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, finally ending America's longest war despite mounting fears of a Taliban victory, officials said.

The drawdown delays only by around five months an agreement with the Taliban by former President Donald Trump to pull troops, amid a growing consensus in Washington that little more can be achieved.

“The Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support,” a recent US intelligence community assessment stated, which was sent to Congress.

The assessment said: “Kabul continues to face setbacks on the battlefield, and the Taliban is confident it can achieve military victory.”

Washington reached an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020, which sought the removal of all US troops from Afghanistan by May 2021.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian government said it took issue with the Biden administration's plan, noting that the decision is a "clear violation" of prior agreements with the Taliban.

Citing a Russian Foreign Ministry statement, the Reuters news agency reports that Moscow is concerned that the move could lead to an escalation in violence and further destabilize the current Kabul government. 

"What is concerning in this context is that the armed conflict in Afghanistan might escalate in the near future, which in turn might undermine efforts to start direct intra-Afghan negotiations," the foreign ministry said in a statement.