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WORLD NEWS Thursday 19 November 2020

U.S. withdrawal rattles Afghan allies and adversaries alike

By KATHY GANNON to Afghanistan to waste,
Associated Press abuse and fraud.
ISLAMABAD (AP) — An ac- The U.S. spends $4 billion
celerated U.S. troop with- a year on Afghanistan's
drawal from Afghanistan, National Security and De-
announced by Washing- fense Forces, yet relentless
ton this week, has rattled violence in the country has
both allies and adversaries. been demoralizing and
There are fears of worsen- U.S. air power has been
ing violence and regional the key to the ability of Af-
chaos, which some say ghan forces to hold territory
could embolden the local against Taliban onslaughts.
Islamic State affiliate to re- Afghanistan's security forc-
group and perhaps even es also have been degrad-
try to build another "caliph- ed by corruption. Accord-
ate." ing to an August report
Under an earlier deal be- by the Special Inspector
tween the U.S. and the Tal- General for Afghanistan
iban that outlined a grad- Reconstruction, about half
ual pullout, the remaining of all police in the Taliban
U.S. forces were to leave strongholds of the southern
Afghanistan by April. The provinces use drugs and up
Pentagon now says some to 70% of police positions
2,500 troops will leave by In this Jan. 15, 2018, file photo, U.S. Marines watch during the change of command ceremony at in those regions are "ghost"
Task Force Southwest military field in Shorab military camp of Helmand province, Afghanistan.
January, just days before Associated Press jobs — in which they are
President-elect Joe Biden's not actually filled but the
inauguration, leaving an- for harboring former al-Qa- terly about being sidelined strengthen much-needed salaries are diverted to of-
other 2,000 or so U.S. forces ida leader Osama bin Lad- in U.S. negotiations with capacity within Afghan se- ficials on the take.
in place. Biden has said he en following the Sept. 11, the Taliban, wants the deal curity forces." The U.S. troop withdrawal
prefers a small, intelligence- 2001, attacks. The Taliban scrapped entirely. Yet Afghanistan's acting seems certain to feature
driven, counterterrorism has regained strength in With word this week of the Defense Minister Asadullah prominently in the first visit
presence in Afghanistan. recent years in the country, accelerated U.S. troop Khalid told Parliament on to Afghanistan on Thursday
A U.S. withdrawal would be although the Islamic State withdrawal, Afghans also Tuesday that the security of Pakistan's Prime Minister
welcome in most of rural and a degraded al-Qaida fear powerful warlords in forces were holding their Imran Khan. The neighbors
Afghanistan where civilians still carry out attacks in the Kabul with a long history of own and only 4% of their have an uneasy relation-
are increasingly caught region. infighting could again turn operations need U.S. air as- ship, with Kabul accusing
in the crossfire between "Washington has looked their guns on each other sistance. Islamabad of strengthen-
Taliban and government at Afghanistan largely once the current deter- "There might be up and ing the Taliban by harbor-
forces, said Torek Farhadi, through a counterterrorism rence of an international down in numbers of troops, ing its leadership. Pakistan
a former Afghan govern- lens. And that will certainly troop presence is sharply but we are not concerned. says Afghanistan has be-
ment adviser and political be the case for the incom- reduced. We are ready to defend Af- come the staging arena for
analyst. ing Biden administration," "One of the most critical ghanistan independently," Indian-sponsored attacks
"After a bombing by any said Michael Kugelman, roles of the U.S. in Afghani- Khalid told lawmakers. on its soil.
side of the conflict, no one deputy director of the Asia stan ... is to keep their own Afghanistan remains des- Pakistan has been critical
has gone back to rebuild Program at the Washing- Afghan allies from fighting perately poor, even after 20 in getting the Taliban to
any infrastructure. No one ton-based Wilson Center. among themselves and years and billions of dollars the table, and Khan has
has really worked on heal- NATO has fewer than 12,000 bringing down the state," in investment. More than 25 warned against a messy re-
ing hearts and minds," he troops helping to train and said Anatol Lieven, a New million of its 36 million peo- treat by U.S. troops, fearing
said. advise Afghan national America Foundation Senior ple survive on barely $1.40 that the chaos in Afghani-
The U.S.-Taliban deal, security forces. The 30-na- Fellow at Georgetown Uni- a day. For many, the pres- stan will spill into Pakistan,
signed in February, was tion alliance relies heavily versity's Qatar campus. "It ence of international forc- which still houses nearly 2
largely propelled by Wash- on the U.S. armed forces seems unlikely, however, es brings little relief. million Afghan refugees
ington's fear of an expand- for transport, logistics and that the U.S. will be willing or "There's certainly good rea- from four decades of war.
ing Islamic State affiliate in other support. able to do this indefinitely." son to believe that the U.S But Kabul worries about
Afghanistan, said a U.S. De- "While the idea of the Tal- Analysts fear the accel- is wearing out its welcome Pakistan might use proxy
fense Department official iban making peace with erated withdrawal could in Afghanistan, given its in- Taliban fighters to retaliate
who spoke on condition of the Afghan government significantly compromise ability to rein in rising insur- if Islamabad feels threat-
anonymity because of the and then working together the defense capabilities of gent and terrorist violence ened by India-sponsored
sensitivity of the subject. to target ISIS sounds great Afghanistan's forces. Kugel- and given its own contribu- attacks from Afghan terri-
With terrorist plots that he in theory, it's a very tall or- man says even a small tion to the violence through tory.
said had links to Afghani- der, and especially any- number of U.S. forces can actions that maim and kill "In the end, the future of
stan, Washington sought a time soon." have an impact on the di- civilians," Kugelman said. Afghanistan depends on
deal with the Taliban that A Biden administration rection of the war. "And that's aside from per- the Afghans themselves
would bring them into a strategy of maintaining a "The numbers (of troops be- ceptions of U.S. complicity and Afghanistan's neigh-
coordinated fight — along residual force — even a ing pulled out) may seem in Kabul's corruption." bors. The USA is not going
with Afghan security forces narrowly focused one — small, and they are, but Afghanistan's government to be in this region forever,"
— against the Islamic State would require a renegoti- the impacts of even small is among the world's 10 Lieven said.
militant group, which lost its ated deal with the Taliban, numbers of troops are con- most corrupt, according to "As for most other Afghans,
self-proclaimed "caliphate" which the insurgent move- siderable," he said. "U.S. air Transparency International. it seems that they are just
in Syria and Iraq. ment has already rejected. power has helped Afghan Since 2002, Washington's desperately anxious for
A U.S.-led coalition toppled The Afghan government, ground forces repel Taliban own watchdog says the an end to the war," he
the Taliban in Afghanistan which has complained bit- offensives. U.S. troops help U.S. has lost $19 billion of aid added.q