In February NATO countries Are to Discuss Troops from Afghanistan Withdrawing

Jens Stoltenberg urged not to make "hasty decisions". According to him, if the NATO military leaves Afghanistan, the Islamic State can establish a terrorist caliphate there. In February 2021, NATO defense ministers will discuss whether to leave their military contingent in Afghanistan or withdraw it from the country - in accordance with the agreement concluded between the United States and the radical Taliban. “We, as NATO allies, have a very difficult decision to make,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with the Funke Mediengruppe, published on Tuesday November 24th. Stoltenberg warned NATO partners against pulling the military out of the country too hasty: “We have to weigh the costs. If we stay in Afghanistan, we certainly run the risk of being further involved in a complex military operation. If we leave too early, Afghanistan might again turn a safe haven for international terrorists and the Islamic State might try to establish the terrorist caliphate in Afghanistan that was previously destroyed in Syria and Iraq. " The NATO secretary general added that the organization welcomes direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government and is ready to "stay in the country longer than necessary." NATO troops were sent to Afghanistan following the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. A number of states have joined the NATO mission, and now there are 12 thousand soldiers from 38 countries in Afghanistan. At the end of February 2020, the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban on the withdrawal of American troops from the country, which should be completed by the end of 2021. In exchange, the Taliban pledged to enter into peace talks with the Afghan government and ensure that Afghanistan does not become a base for international terrorists. However, negotiations, which began in September this year, have reached an impasse.