European Troops Return Home From Afghanistan As U.S. ‘Days Away’ From Completing Pullout

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US soldiers (file photo)

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
June 30, 2021

The last German, Italian, and North Macedonian troops have returned home from Afghanistan, bringing their nearly two-decade deployment to a close as part of an accelerated withdrawal of foreign forces from the war-wracked country.

The U.S.-led coalition agreed in April to end their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after President Joe Biden announced that Washington would complete the withdrawal of American forces by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda on the United States that prompted the invasion and ouster of the Taliban government that sheltered the terrorist network.

Many allies are wrapping up their presence in Afghanistan amid reports saying that the U.S. military could complete its withdrawal well ahead of the September 11 deadline as the Taliban insurgency ramps up its offensive across Afghanistan.

Reuters reported on June 29 that the U.S. military appears just days away from completing its pullout.

Citing unidentified U.S. officials, the agency said the withdrawal would not include some 650 troops that will remain to protect diplomats at the U.S. Embassy and potentially assist securing the Kabul airport.

“This week could be a critical week in the withdrawal and end of the retrograde process,” CNN quoted an unnamed defense official as saying.

Fighting has surged since the United States began withdrawing early last month, with the Taliban seizing swathes of territory. The Pentagon now estimates the Taliban controls 81 of the country’s 419 district centers.

The accelerated pace of the U.S. withdrawal has raised concerns that the country could erupt in a full-scale civil war.

“The security situation is not good right now,” General Scott Miller, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said in a news conference on June 29.

“A civil war is certainly a path that can be visualized if this continues on the trajectory it’s on right now, that should be of concern to the world,” he said.

Three Luftwaffe transport aircraft landed at the Wunstorf air base in northern Germany on June 30, bringing home a total of 264 men and women — the last German soldiers of the NATO Resolute Support mission aimed to train Afghan forces, according to Germany’s military.

Germany lost 59 soldiers in Afghanistan, including 35 killed in combat or the result of militant attacks. The ground battles in Afghanistan were the first that the German military fought since the end of World War II.

The last Italian soldiers deployed in Afghanistan arrived at the military airport in the central city of Pisa late the previous day, with Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini paying tribute to the 53 Italians who died and 723 who were injured over the past two decades.

Italy and Germany were two of the five countries most involved in Afghanistan along with the United States, Turkey, and Britain as part of the Resolute Support noncombat mission.

Germany’s contingent, which focused on northern Afghanistan, was around 1,100 strong as of April. It was second in number only to the U.S. contingent.

North Macedonia’s last contingent also returned home on June 29, with Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska praising the “sacrifice” of the Balkan country’s 3,500 servicemen who had served in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2015.

Georgia’s last troops returned home earlier this week, while Norway’s contingent returned home over the weekend. Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, and the Netherlands pulled their last soldiers out earlier this month.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AP, AFP, CNN, and RFE/RL’s Balkan Service

Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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‘Not Good’: U.S. General Warns Taliban Over Offensive Operations In Afghanistan

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Miller

By Radio Free Afghanistan
June 29, 2021

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan has not ruled out conducting air strikes against the Taliban if the insurgents press on with their campaign to seize territory across the war-torn country.

The Taliban has taken control of dozens of districts from government forces in recent weeks, raising concerns that the Western-backed government in Kabul and the Afghan security forces may collapse after U.S.-led international forces complete their withdrawals by September 11.

U.S. General Austin Miller said at a news conference in Kabul on June 29 that he has informed the Taliban that air strikes are linked to the militant group’s actions.

“The best way to stop [U.S. air strikes] — and I’ve actually told the Taliban — is to stop the offensive operations and air strikes go zero as we go forward. I still have the authority to support and defend the Afghan security forces and certainly defend ourselves as well,” Miller said.

Miller’s comments drew a warning from the Taliban, with spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid telling RFE/RL that U.S. forces “have no right to bomb Afghanistan after May.”

He was referring to a May 1 deadline the previous U.S. administration had agreed with the Taliban to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan.

“If they bomb, they will face dangerous consequences. Then they will be responsible for starting the war,” Mujahid said.

Fighting has surged across Afghanistan since early May when the U.S. military began its final withdrawal of troops, with the Pentagon estimating the Taliban now controls 81 of the country’s 419 district centers.

Afghan security forces have launched offensives to regain ground lost to the Taliban, with the Defense Ministry saying on June 29 that three districts in the northern provinces of Faryab and Balkh provinces were retaken by government forces following days of heavy fighting with insurgents.

According to the statement, the army was also making progress in retaking two other districts in the central province of Ghazni and in Parwan Province, north of Kabul, while operations against militants continued in Balkh.

Officials and other sources said that Afghan forces also made advances in Kunduz and Takhar provinces, in the north.

Last week, the Taliban seized Afghanistan’s main border crossing with Tajikistan and pressed an offensive on the northern cities of Kunduz and Mazar-e Sharif.

On June 28, four districts in the Ghazni and Paktika provinces fell under Taliban control.

“From 18 districts in Ghazni, I think seven districts in total have fallen to the Taliban,” Khoddad Irfani, a local lawmaker, told TOLOnews.

Officials were also quoted as saying that Taliban fighters launched an overnight attack on the provincial capital, also called Ghazni.

“The situation in Ghazni is changing. Most of the lost areas in the outskirts are being taken back by the Afghan forces,” said Abdul Jami, a provincial council member in Ghazni.

The city lies on a highway linking Kabul with the southern province of Kandahar.

At his press conference, Miller described the overall security situation in Afghanistan as “not good.”

“That’s something that’s recognized by the Afghan security forces and they are making appropriate adjustments as we move forward.”

With reporting by TOLOnews, AP, AFP, and dpa

Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Related

Afghan Army Retakes Three Districts In Northern Faryab Province

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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
June 29, 2021

Afghan security forces have retaken control of three districts in the north of the country after days of heavy fighting with Taliban militants.

The Taliban has taken control of dozens of districts from government forces in recent weeks, raising concerns that the Western-backed government in Kabul and the Afghan security forces may collapse after U.S.-led international forces complete their withdrawal by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The Pashtun Kot and Khan Chaharbagh districts in Faryab Province were retaken by the Afghan government forces on June 28, the Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that the army was also making progress in their efforts to retake two other districts in Ghazni and Parwan provinces.

In a separate announcement on Twitter, the ministry said it had retaken the Kaldara district in Balkh Province while causing heavy losses to the Taliban.

Analysts say both sides often exaggerate losses inflicted on the other party.

The message said operations against militants continued in other districts of Balkh.

Officials and other sources said that Afghan forces also made advances in Kunduz and Takhar provinces.

Heavy fighting has been under way in Baghlan, Kunduz, Balkh, Takhar, and Faryab, as well as in Paktia and Zabul in the southeast as security forces launched offensives against the Taliban, local sources have told RFE/RL.

Last week the Taliban seized Afghanistan’s main border crossing with Tajikistan, and pressed an offensive on the northern cities of Kunduz and Mazar-e Sharif.

On June 28, four districts in the Ghazni and Paktika provinces fell under Taliban control.

“From 18 districts in Ghazni, I think seven districts in total have fallen to the Taliban,” Khoddad Irfani, a lawmaker from Ghazni, told Tolo News.

The Pentagon estimates the Taliban now controls 81 of Afghanistan’s 419 district centers as talks on a political settlement between Afghan government officials and the Taliban have stalled.

Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation, at the White House that “we’re going to stick with you and we’re going to do our best to see to it you have the tools you need.”

But “Afghans are going to have to decide their future,” Biden said.

With reporting by Tolo News, AP, and AFP

Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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Omer

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