NATO foreign and defence ministers agreed on Wednesday 14 April to begin the withdrawal of Allied troops from Afghanistan by 1 May.
There are currently almost 10,000 troops, mostly non-American, engaged what is mainly a training, assistance, and advisory mission.
The Americans confirmed their departure a few hours earlier, with the objective of a total withdrawal by 11 September, 20 years to the day after the attacks of 11 September 2001.
The agreement between the US and the Taliban in January 2020 includes the withdrawal of foreign troops by 1 May.
The Allies had been discussing this possible withdrawal for several weeks (see EUROPE 12684/18, 12661/4).
“Recognising that there is no military solution to the challenges Afghanistan faces, the Allies have determined that we will start the withdrawal of Resolute Support forces by 1 May”, the Allies announced in a North Atlantic Council statement, estimating that the withdrawal would be completed in “a few months”. “We went into Afghanistan together, we have adjusted together, and now we are leaving together”, they said.
According to them, this withdrawal will be done in an “orderly, coordinated and deliberate manner”. And “any Taliban attacks on Allied troops during this withdrawal will be met with a forceful response”, the Allies also warned.
“The threat from al-Qaeda in Afghanistan has decreased considerably. Osama Bin Laden has been brought to justice. We have achieved our initial objective. And we do not believe that maintaining an indefinite military presence in Afghanistan is in the best interests of either the United States or of NATO and our allies”, explained US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after the NATO meeting, adding that the Allies would remain vigilant to any possible resurgence of the terrorist threat in Afghanistan.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recalled that for almost two decades, Allied troops have prevented Afghanistan from being used as a safe haven for terrorist attacks against their own countries, helped build Afghan security forces from scratch, and helped achieve social progress.
And while troops will be leaving Afghanistan, the Allies intend to continue to support the ongoing peace process, welcoming the Istanbul Conference on Peace in Afghanistan, which will begin on 24 April with representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban. They also called on the Afghan government and the Taliban to respect their commitments to the peace process.
“Withdrawing our troops does not mean ending our relationship with Afghanistan”, the Allies warned, adding that this would be “the start of a new chapter”. “The only way to support the country is not to deploy thousands of combat troops to the country. (...) We have diplomatic tools, we have economic tools, we have development, we have humanitarian aid. All of these are available to the Allies and NATO to continue to support Afghanistan”, explained Mr Stoltenberg.
On Thursday 15 April, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service, Nabila Massrali, announced that the EU was taking note of the withdrawal announcement. “In light of this decision, a firm and constructive engagement of all parties in the peace negotiations will be essential”, the spokesperson said. She announced that the EU would continue to work with international partners to find ways to encourage a politically negotiated settlement through continued direct talks between the parties and that the EU would continue to call for an end to the violence, which remains at an “unacceptable level”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)