Military chief ‘disappointed’ by decision to pull US troops out of Afghanistan
THE HEAD of Britain’s armed forces has expressed disappointment at President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.
General Sir Nick Carter, inset, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said it was “not a decision we hoped for” although the UK respected the view taken by the new administration.
While he acknowledged the final pull-out of international forces after two decades could lead to a return of the warlords to the country, he said the situation may not be “quite as bad” as some were predicting.
Mr Biden announced earlier this week that the remaining 2,500 US troops would leave by September 11 – the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US – extending the May 1 deadline set by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Other Nato allies confirmed that they would follow suit, including the UK, which is to begin withdrawing its remaining 750 military trainers from next month.
Asked about the US announcement, Gen Carter told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is not a decision that we hoped for but we obviously respect it. It is clearly an acknowledgement of an evolving US strategic posture.” He said that he felt a “great deal of pride” at what the British armed forces had achieved.
“We went into Afghanistan back in 2001 to prevent international terrorism ever emerging from Afghanistan.
“In the last 20 years there has been no international terrorist attack mounted from Afghanistan. I think that is a great tribute to our armed forces and of course to the armed forces of the Nato countries that have been committed to this,” he said.
He said Afghanistan had “evolved hugely” over the last two decades, while the Taliban – who had allowed al-Qaida to launch the 9/11 attacks from their camps in the country – had also changed.
“I actually think that the Taliban is not the organisation it once was. It is an organisation that has evolved in the 20 years that we have been there and I think they recognise that they need some political legitimacy,” he said. “At the end of the day, the Afghan people are looking for stability, they are looking for peace, and that is not lost on the Taliban.”