Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: The NATO-member countries having troops in Afghanistan would withdraw simultaneously when the United States leaves, the German defense minister said Tuesday.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, said that all the NATO troops would withdraw from the war-stricken country before September 11 when Washington pulls its last soldier back.
“The NATO stationed troops in Afghanistan along with the United States and is to leave the country along with it,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said.The Washington Post cited senior US officials saying that President Joe Biden had made decision to leave all soldiers before September 11.
According to the Times, the withdrawal would complete on the 20th anniversary of thee 9/11 attacks carried out by al-Qaeda terrorist network.
The US has currently 2,500 troops in Afghanistan who are mainly involved in consulting, training and sometimes supporting Afghan security and defense forces.
The withdrawal was agreed by the former US president Donald Trump and Taliban late February 2020. Under the agreement, the US would have left the country by May 1.
Taliban had earlier warned to resume attacks on foreign forces if the deadline was violated and the US did not pull soldiers back.
The militant group has recently said they would not participate in any conference or meeting on Afghan peace until the complete foreign troop withdrawal. The comments come as the government of Afghanistan and regional and international allies are preparing for a meeting in Turkey slated for April 24.
