Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said that “we are drifting into one of the most dangerous periods in human history."
Biden has inched so close to the deadline that his indecision amounts almost to a decision to put off, at least for a number of months, a pullout of the remaining 2,500 troops.
If the U.S. is serious about pushing a major peace plan with the Afghans, then it had better stay the course and see them all the way through to a comprehensive peace, says the author of this commentary.
Gen. Richard Clarke echoed the sentiments of other military leaders, saying it’s clear that the Taliban has not upheld its commitment to reduce violence in Afghanistan.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived Sunday in Kabul on his first trip to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, amid swirling questions about how long American troops will remain in the country.
The one-day gathering was the first of three planned international conferences ahead of a May 1 deadline for the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country.
Afghanistan’s interior minister said Saturday that Afghan security forces can hold their ground even if U.S. troops withdraw, challenging a warning from the United States predicting a withdrawal would yield quick territorial gains to the Taliban.