On Wednesday 21 March, representatives of the EU and NATO expressed concern at the security situation in Afghanistan, at a hearing at the 'security and defence' sub-committee of the European Parliament. A few hours earlier, a further attack to coincide with Persian New Year, which has been condemned by the EU, left at least 32 people dead in Kabul.
“The security situation in Afghanistan has considerably worsened”, said Dietmar Krissler, head of the European External Action Service's Afghanistan and Pakistan division. For instance, he said, there are very few districts under the control of the Afghan authorities, whilst the rebels control more and more of them. “The territory in rebel hands has doubled since 2015. The districts under the control of the authorities have fallen by 20% since 2009”, he said.
NATO's head of operations for Afghanistan and Iraq, Marc DiPaolo, also said that security was not as good as it was a few years ago. He acknowledged that “NATO and the United States have undoubtedly withdrawn too soon, which has led to a deterioration of the security situation”. He went on to say that all actors present in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, recognise that military victory is not possible. “This is the only thing on which all actors in the country can agree”, he added. However, the NATO representative added that he did not expect any change in the Taliban position before next year.
Krissler referred to the peace agreement proposed to the Taliban by the Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani (see EUROPE 11972). “We hope that this offer will be considered by the Taliban and that it will lead to a lasting peace process, but there is still a doubt as to how they will respond; so far, there has been no formal response”, he added. He called for the international actors, in particular Pakistan, China and Russia, to clarify their positions on the President's offer, stressing that the peace conference in Afghanistan on 26 and 27 March in Tashkent would be a “real opportunity to reaffirm international support for President Ghani”. Federica Mogherini will attend the meeting. “We must define a common message for the Taliban. Many in the international community are in discussions with the Taliban and it is important to accompany the peace process from a political point of view without putting too much pressure on the Taliban, for instance, with the implementation of safe zones”, he added.
In the press release condemning the New Year attack, published on 21 March, the spokesperson of the European External Action Service said that the EU would continue to work with the Afghan authorities to achieve peace. She added that at the Tashkent conference, the EU would make clear that the “offer of peace (…) should be seized by all so that violence and terror can stop once and for all, allowing for (…) inclusive dialogue” which, she stressed, would have the support of the EU. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)