No hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan-Austin

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the US will not undertake a hasty or disorderly withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, stressing that violence must decrease now in the war-torn country and more progress is needed in the Afghan-led negotiations. At this time, no decisions about our future force posture have been made, In an interaction with reporters after the first NATO Defence Ministers meeting, he said that the Biden administration is committed to a responsible and sustainable end to the war in Afghanistan, while preventing the country from becoming a safe haven for terrorist groups and that threaten the interests of the United States and its allies, and ensuring a just and durable end to the long-running conflict.

Clearly, the violence is too high right now, and more progress needs to be made in the Afghan-led negotiations, he asserted.So I urge all parties to choose the path towards peace. The violence must decrease now, he said and added that  at this time, no decisions about future force posture have been made.In the meantime, current missions will continue, and of course, commanders have the right and the responsibility to defend themselves and their Afghan partners against attack, he said.

The US and the Taliban reached an agreement in February 2020 that called for a permanent ceasefire, peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government, and a withdrawal of all foreign forces by May 1. There are about 2,500 US troops currently in the country.