Trump: Taliban could seize power when US troops quit Afghanistan
DONALD TRUMP acknowledged the Taliban could “possibly” seize control of Afghanistan after the US leaves as part of a peace deal signed last week.
“Eventually, countries have to take care of themselves,” the president told reporters yesterday, adding that US forces couldn’t stay in Afghanistan for another 20 years.
His comments came hours after at least 32 people were killed at a political rally in Kabul, the deadliest assault in Afghanistan since the US signed the withdrawal deal with the Taliban.
The attack – claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) – highlights a glaring lack of security in the Afghan capital just 14 months ahead of the scheduled withdrawal of foreign forces. It also calls into question a key element of the deal: whether the Taliban can prevent terrorist groups such as Isil using Afghanistan as a base after US forces pull out.
Mr Trump framed the deal, signed in Doha last weekend, as a step towards the end of America’s almost 20-year presence in Afghanistan. It paves the way for the complete withdrawal of 13,000 US troops as well as Nato’s forces, but is contingent on Taliban assurances not to allow Afghanistan to become a haven for international terrorists.
There were hopes the agreement would lead to a permanent ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban, who are supposed to meet in Oslo next week, but discussions look likely to be delayed by a disagreement over a mass prisoner release.
The Us-taliban deal states that the Afghan government should release as many as 5,000 Taliban prisoners before the March 10 start date of the talks.
It is believed the Taliban has continued to attack Afghan government positions after Ashraf Ghani, the president, rejected that commitment.
Mr Trump yesterday admitted that the security of the Us-backed Afghan government was not guaranteed by the deal. Asked whether he was afraid that a US withdrawal would pave the way for the Taliban to overrun the government, he responded: “I can’t answer that question. It’s not supposed to happen that way but it possibly will.
“We’ve been there for 20 years and we’ve been protecting the country but we can’t be there for the next – eventually they’re going to have to protect themselves, you know.”
Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, insisted that, despite Friday’s attack, the administration sees a path “towards a peace and reconciliation opportunity”.
“The violence levels, they’re still lower than they have been in the last five or six years,” he told CNBC news.
Isil claimed responsibility for the mass shooting yesterday, saying in a statement that two brothers had targeted a “gathering of apostates” with machine guns and grenades.
The gunmen inflicted carnage at the crowded event in west Kabul, killing 32 people and injuring 81 others, a government spokesman said, adding that the death toll could rise. Two gunmen were killed by special forces units.
The assault occurred at a commemoration ceremony for Abdul Ali Mazari – a politician from the Hazara ethnic group, most of whom are Shia Muslims.
Mr Ghani condemned the massacre as a “crime against humanity”. The ceremony was attended by many of the country’s political elite, including Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive.
The interior ministry confirmed that “all the high-ranking officials were safely evacuated from the scene”.
A spokesman for US Forces-afghanistan said the response to yesterday’s attack was “Afghan-led”, but US personnel provided medical assistance to the victims.
Isil first became active in Afghanistan in 2015 and for years held territory in the eastern province of Nangarhar. It has claimed responsibility for a string of bombings, including several in Kabul targeting the Shia community. In recent months the group has been hit by mounting setbacks after being hunted for years by US and Afghan forces along with multiple Taliban offensives targeting their fighters.
However, Isil fighters remain in the country’s eastern Kunar province, as well as in Kabul.