BRUSSELS – The NATO alliance stressed its continued commitment to itssupport mission in Afghanistan on Friday as Washington prepared to withdrawthousands of US troops.
NATO s spokeswoman Oana Lungescu would not comment on US President DonaldTrump s plan to bring home a chunk of the 14,000 US troops deployed inAfghanistan.
But she said NATO foreign ministers met as recently as this month toexpress “steadfast commitment to ensuring long-term security and stabilityin Afghanistan.”
“Our engagement is important to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomesa safe haven for international terrorists who could threaten us at home,”she said.
Some of the US forces deployed in Afghanistan are part of the NATO-ledResolute Support mission, training and advising the local Afghan forcesfighting Taliban rebels.
Others are part of a US-led counter-terrorism mission, and it is not clearfrom initial reports which of the troops will be the first to come home.
A US official told AFP that a “decision has been made. There will be asignificant withdrawal.”
Separately, the Wall Street Journal and other US media reported that morethan 7,000 troops would return.
“We have seen the reports. For any comments, I refer you to the USauthorities,” Lungescu said.
Trump has often been at loggerheads with fellow NATO leaders, accusingEuropean allies like Germany of not pulling their weight in terms ofdefence spending.
But in July, at a NATO summit, all members agreed to extend funding for theembattled Afghan security forces until 2024.
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Brussels-based expert Ian Lesser said European NATO members may besurprised by Trump s tactics but not his overall intention to reduce troopsin Afghanistan, which he made clear after becoming president.
“Many within the alliance frankly are there because the United States haspressed them to be there, but, left to their own decision making, wouldprobably have left,” Lesser told AFP.
Lesser, who heads the European office of the German Marshall Fund of theUnited States, said the resignation on Thursday of US Defence Secretary JimMattis will also cause more unease.
“Within an administration that has not produced a lot of predictability,General Mattis was seen as something of an anchor,” Lesser said.
“And so his departure will only increase European anxiety about the futureof US strategy in Europe but also on Europe s periphery in places likeSyria,” he added.
Syria and the broader Middle East are central to EU concerns aboutterrorism and migration.
Lungescu stressed how important the former Marine Corps general had been toNATO.
“Secretary Mattis has made a key contribution to keeping NATO strong andready to deal with the significant security challenges we face,” the NATOspokeswoman said.
“He is widely respected as a soldier and a diplomat… We are grateful forthe iron-clad commitment of the United States to NATO. US leadership keepsour transatlantic alliance strong.” – APP/AFP
