Biden, Ghani discuss US troops withdrawal

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani discussed winding down of the Resolute Support Mission and with that the transition to a new relationship with Afghanistan and with the Afghan forces.

Both sides reaffirmed the importance of ensuring that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists. On Friday, a seemingly confident Mr Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of Afghanistan‘s High Council for National Reconciliation met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon.

He smiled when asked about reported U.S. intelligence estimates that the radical Islamist Taliban insurgency may be back in charge in Kabul within six months after US and foreign troops leave in September.

There have been many such predictions and they have all turned out false,” Mr. Ghani said as reporters were hustled out of the conference room.The United States remains committed to continuing to provide critical security assistance to the Afghan national defense and security forces,” Mr Austin said. “I am confident that as [Operation] Resolute Support begins to wind down, we will make the transition to a new relationship with Afghanistan and the Afghan forces.”

US officials acknowledge that many post-pullout details are still being worked out. The only certainty is that, except for an increased security presence to protect the U.S. diplomatic mission in Kabul, no American military personnel will remain in Afghanistan.

Austin insisted that the U.S. remains “deeply invested” in Afghan security and the pursuit of a negotiated power-sharing deal with the Taliban, despite Mr. Biden’s withdrawal order ending a 20-year combat mission in the country.

Biden is expected to reaffirm billions of dollars in US aid for the country, and possibly make arrangements for US civilian contractors -- essential to keep the Afghan air force flying -- to remain there. The United States will also provide three million doses of Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to Afghanistan to be shipped as soon as next week, according to Jean-Pierre.

Andrew Watkins, an Afghanistan expert at the International Crisis Group, said Ghani wants to show he has US support as the country´s leader."Ghani doesn´t have a lot of domestic legitimacy. His legitimacy comes maybe more than from any other source or any other factor from international recognition and support," Watkins said.

The US side, meanwhile, is likely to pressure Ghani and Abdullah to strike a power-sharing deal with the Taliban sooner rather than later."We believe that a negotiated political settlement is the best way to end the conflict," Jean-Pierre told journalists.Possibly underscoring how uncomfortable the situation is for both sides, no press conference was planned.