KABUL - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September represents a turning point for the country and its neighbors.
In an article written by Ghani for Foreign Affairs, he says the Afghan government respects the decision to withdraw troops “and views it as a moment of both opportunity and risk for itself, for Afghans, for the Taliban, and for the region.”
“For me, as the elected leader of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, it is another opportunity to reiterate and further my commitment to peace. In February 2018, I made an unconditional offer of peace to the Taliban. That was followed by a three-day cease-fire in June of that year.
“In 2019, a loya jirga (grand council) that I convened mandated negotiations with the Taliban, and since then, my government has worked to build a national consensus on the need for a political settlement that would comport with the values of the Afghan constitution and the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. My government remains ready to continue talks with the Taliban. And, if it meant peace would be secured, I am willing to end my term early,” he wrote.
He says the announcement of the U.S. withdrawal is another phase in Afghanistan’s long-term partnership with the United States.
“Afghanistan has been through consequential withdrawals before. In 2014, the year I first took office, 130,000 U.S. and NATO forces withdrew, allowing Afghans full leadership of the security sector and of the institutions that our international partners had helped us build.
“Since then, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have protected and upheld the republic and made it possible for the country to carry out two national elections. Today, our government and our security forces are on a much stronger footing than we were seven years ago, and we are fully prepared to continue serving and defending our people after American troops depart,” he wrote.
He says the withdrawal also represents an opportunity for the Afghan people to achieve real sovereignty and that soon all decisions regarding military approaches to the Taliban and other terrorist groups will be made by the Afghan government.
“Indeed, the Taliban’s justification for war—jihad against a foreign power—will cease to apply,” he wrote.
Ghani says the U.S. decision to fully withdraw surprised not only the Taliban but also “their patrons in Pakistan”. He says this has forced them to make a choice.
“Will they become credible stakeholders, or will they foster more chaos and violence?”
If the Taliban choose the latter path, the ANDSF will fight them. And if the Taliban still refuse to negotiate, they will be choosing the peace of the grave, he says.
Ghani also stated that in order to avoid such a fate, the Taliban must answer critical questions about their vision for Afghanistan.
“Will they accept elections, and will they will commit to uphold the rights of all Afghans, including girls, women, and minorities?
“Negative answers to those questions were suggested by the Taliban’s recent decision to pull out of a peace conference that was supposed to begin in Istanbul at the end of April.”
He said the Taliban, it seems, remain more interested in power than in peace. A political settlement and the integration of the Taliban into society and government is the only way forward. But the ball is in their court.
In conclusion, Ghani stated: “As we move into uncharted waters for Afghanistan, I am focused on achieving the best possible outcome of this long period of conflict: a sovereign, Islamic, democratic, united, neutral, and connected Afghanistan. I am willing to compromise and sacrifice to achieve that. The withdrawal of U.S. troops is an opportunity to get us closer to that end state, but only if all Afghans and their international partners commit to a clear path forward and stay the course.” (ATN)