Afghanistan troop pullout surprises NZ

Defense Secretary says US must respect allies – but NZ got no warning of troop withdrawal, reports Kirsty Lawrence.

New Zealand was not notified about America’s decision to remove troops from Afghanistan, underlining Pentagon warnings about the need to show respect to United States allies.

American media outlets are reporting President Donald Trump made the decision to pull the troops — about half of the 14,000 soldiers the US has in Afghanistan now — at the same time he decided to pull American forces out of Syria.

However, Minister of Defence Ron Mark said although he has seen media reports about the US military presence in Afghanistan, no official statement had been released by either the White House or the Pentagon, or provided to New Zealand.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis stepped down from his post this weekend. In a pointed resignation letter, he stated the important role he believes US allies play and the respect they need to be shown.

Mattis emphasised the importance of standing up for US allies, in what is being read in Washington DC as an implicit criticism of the president’s decision.

‘‘While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies,’’ Mattis wrote.

Mark didn’t say whether America needed to be more respectful towards its allies, but paid tribute to Mattis’ work as Secretary of Defence, saying it had been an honour working alongside him. ‘‘I am grateful for his personal efforts towards international peace and security.’’

Ultimately, Mark said, decisions on the US deployments were a matter for the United States.

Winston Peters