Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

No Al-Qaeda Hideouts in Afghanistan: NATO Official

No Al-Qaeda Hideouts  in Afghanistan: NATO Official

BRUSSELS - Cleared of insurgent hideouts, Afghanistan no longer needs a coalition of 50 countries to fight against Al Qaeda, a senior NATO official said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an off-camera news conference in this Belgian capital, a senior diplomat said: “NATO has been in Afghanistan to fight Al-Qaeda, not the Taliban.”

Calling Al Qaeda remnants in other parts of the world a serious threat and acknowledging continuation of local rebels’ activities in Afghanistan, he said: “From now on, it will be the Afghan government’s responsibility to deal with the Taliban.”

The diplomat said inking of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) would pave the ground for America’s military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014. “In the absence of a request from Kabul or BSA, America will leave Afghanistan.”

Absent a BSA, a US pullout will be a reality at the end of the current year and a decision in this regard has to be taken by the Afghan government, according to the official, who indicated 8,000 to 12,000 foreign troops would stay in Afghanistan after 2014 if the deal was clinched. 

In response to a query about Pakistan’s role in the Afghan-led reconciliation process, he said: “Peace in one country is directly linked to stability in other.” Afghanistan would be on the agenda at the two-day ministerial meeting.

The meeting would be a good opportunity to discuss how Afghanistan’s changing situation affected NATO’s planning, potential of Afghan forces, the Taliban threat, the diplomat believed.   (Pajhwok)