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NATO chief: we never intended to stay in Afghanistan forever

A Taliban fighter stands guard at a checkpoint in Kandahar today. Photo:EPA

 

The World Daily | News Desk           AUGUST  17th   2021 

 

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called on the Taliban to allow anyone who wanted to leave Afghanistan to leave the country. He added that the Alliance has made a decision to send additional aircraft to Kabul that will enable further evacuation from the country. Stoltenberg noted that the international coalition "never intended to stay in Afghanistan forever."

 

Afghan Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday. Taking advantage of the withdrawal of international military forces under US command, they took control of the country. The previous US-backed government collapsed and the country's president, Ashraf Ghani, fled abroad. For several days, the evacuation of foreign diplomats and Afghans who collaborated with representatives of Western countries has been underway. On Monday, the airport in the Afghan capital was stormed by crowds of residents trying to leave the country.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg referred to the situation in Afghanistan on Tuesday. "We never intended to stay in Afghanistan forever," he said, explaining that the long-term goal of the intervention launched in 2001 was to build the state and security forces.

An alternative to withdrawing from Afghanistan was the intensification of fighting against the Taliban and, consequently, the need to increase NATO's involvement, said Jens Stoltenberg. He also recalled that the agreement concluded by the US with the Taliban was accepted by all NATO members. The countries of the Alliance were aware of the risks associated with withdrawing from Afghanistan, but did not expect that local power structures would collapse so quickly - emphasized the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance.

"It is easy to understand our frustration when we see that so many years of efforts by the entire international community have not produced better results. At the same time, some of the achievements will be hard to undo. (...) One of the achievements of these 20 years was the destruction of terrorist groups in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda. it hardly exists, it is much weaker than when we started our military operation," said NATO Secretary General. 

 

Stoltenberg called on the Taliban to allow anyone wishing to leave Afghanistan to leave the country. He added that the North Atlantic Alliance has made a decision to send additional aircraft to Kabul that will enable further evacuation from the country. "All Afghans, men, women and children, deserve a life of security and dignity. There must be a peaceful handover of power, without any retaliation or revenge. A power that does not respect all Afghans' rights and leads to the return of the rule of fear risks international isolation," he said.

As the head of NATO said, the pace at which the Afghan government army collapsed in the face of the Taliban offensive was a surprise. "We have witnessed a political and military collapse in recent weeks," Stoltenberg said. He added that it was a lesson for the North Atlantic Alliance from which lessons should be drawn. However, he stressed that the main goal at the moment was the evacuation of people exposed to Taliban violence from Afghanistan.

Stoltenberg also expressed his expectation that the Taliban would keep their word by ensuring that territories under their control did not become a terrorist hotspot again. "NATO allies will remain vigilant, and we have the ability to attack terrorist groups from a distance (...). We can also do this in Afghanistan," warned Stoltenberg. 

 

© The World Daily 2021 | News Desk

Source: Reuters

 

 

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