Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Austin: No ‘hasty’ Afghan pullout

- LOLITA C. BALDOR AND ROBERT BURNS

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in his first news conference as Pentagon chief, said Friday that progress toward peace in Afghanista­n and an end to U.S. military involvemen­t there depends on the Taliban reducing attacks.

“The violence must decrease now,” he told reporters.

Austin, a retired four-star Army general who oversaw U.S. forces in Afghanista­n and across the Mideast for three years during the Obama administra­tion, said the Biden administra­tion is “methodical­ly and deliberate­ly” assessing its next steps in Afghanista­n, where U.S. troops have been present for nearly 20 years.

The U.S. has about 2,500 troops there, and Austin said there would be no “hasty” withdrawal.

Under a deal with the Taliban struck by the Trump administra­tion one year ago this month, the United States promised a phased withdrawal of troops so that by May 1 all foreign troops would be gone. For its part, the Taliban committed to starting peace talks with the Afghan government, ending attacks on American forces, and publicly renouncing all ties to al-Qaida and other extremist groups.

Austin suggested the Taliban are not meeting their commitment­s.

In remarks earlier Friday to a virtual meeting of the Munich Security Conference, President Joe Biden gave no indication of his plan for troop levels in Afghanista­n. He pledged to support the peace process and to ensure that Afghanista­n does not revert to being a launching pad for internatio­nal terrorist attacks.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in remarks after Biden’s address, said her government is willing to keep troops in Afghanista­n longer if needed to ensure that the country does not descend into chaos.

“Withdrawal must not mean that the wrong forces get the upper hand again,” she said.

The U.S. allies in NATO now have more troops in Afghanista­n than does the United States, and they are awaiting Washington’s decision on whether to stick to the May 1 deadline. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenber­g said Thursday that the allies are holding out hope for a “reenergize­d” peace process that could lead to a cease-fire as a step toward a final political settlement. Short of that, the choices for the U.S. and NATO are difficult.

“We are faced with very hard and difficult dilemmas,” Stoltenber­g told reporters after Austin and his fellow NATO defense ministers consulted by video teleconfer­ence.

“Because, if we stay beyond May 1, we risk more violence, we risk more attacks against our own troops ... but, if we leave, then we also risk that the gains we have made are lost and that Afghanista­n again could become a safe haven for internatio­nal terrorists.”

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