Blinken offers assurances in Afghanistan but some voice skepticism

Trip by top Biden envoy comes as US plans military exit.

Antony Blinken walks with Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul on Thursday. Picture: Reuters

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Afghan leaders and citizens that US support for their country would continue during and after a planned troop withdrawal ordered this week by President Joe Biden.

But some of those with whom Mr Blinken met during an unannounced visit on Thursday voiced anxiety over the US plan to begin withdrawing its remaining 3500 troops on May 1 and to complete the pullout by September 11.

“My views are very pessimistic,” said Naheed Farid, a member of parliament who leads the women’s affairs committee, when asked about Afghanistan’s future.

The insurgent Taliban movement, meanwhile, issued a statement denouncing the withdrawal plan, which pushes back a May 1 troop withdrawal negotiated last year between the militant group and the Trump administration.

“Now, as the agreement is being breached by America, it in principle opens the way for the Mujaheddin of Islamic Emirate to take every necessary countermeasure, hence the American side will be held responsible for all future consequences, and not the Islamic Emirate,” it said.

Mr Blinken met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani hours after Mr Biden announced his plan to complete the troop withdrawal by the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. “I wanted to demonstrate with my visit the ongoing commitment of the United States to the Islamic Republic and the people of Afghanistan,” Mr Blinken told Mr Ghani and others at the presidential palace. “The partnership is changing, but the partnership is enduring.”

Mr Blinken and Mr Ghani spoke about counter-terrorism and their shared interest in ensuring al-Qa’ida doesn’t get a new foothold in Afghanistan.

Mr Blinken also met Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the country’s High Council for National Reconciliation and the government’s chief peace envoy.

For the US, the visit offered a chance to show the Afghan people that American diplomats and institutions will continue to support the country’s development, even as soldiers from the US and other NATO countries begin to depart. Mr Blinken also acknowledged a sense of anxiety among Afghans. “This is a time of transition. And with any transition comes uncertainty,” he said.

Earlier, he told US embassy staff members: “I know that there are a lot of uncertainties in light of the President’s announcement.”

The withdrawal plans are likely to affect efforts to establish the country’s peace process, reducing the Kabul government’s leverage in dealing with the Taliban. The US is working with other nations to encourage a political settlement between the Taliban and the government.

US officials have warned the Taliban against attacking American or allied troops during the withdrawal.

Mr Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spent Wednesday in Brussels with US allies, and NATO endorsed a withdrawal of its members’ troops from Afghanistan following the US lead.

The Wall Street Journal