The US military has been ordered to begin planning to withdraw about half the troops in Afghanistan. This news was received with mix responses from Afghans. Some of them welcomed the decision and considered it as aligned with the Taliban’s Demand from The United States to withdraw its troops in Afghanistan. However, some other Afghans considered this move of the US as leaving Afghanistan alone in its fight against the international terrorism.
It is a crystal cut fact that Trump has repeatedly questioned the need to spend US blood and treasure in Afghanistan, asking in 2011: “When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan? We must rebuild our country first.” clearly expresses how the US president perceives the Afghan prolong war.
Nonetheless, just two weeks before the news of the withdrawal plan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph Dunford, said at a Washington Post Live event that he “had not recommended” that the US withdraw. Dunford continued that he had not recommended that the US leaves Afghanistan because, in his judgment, leaving Afghanistan not only would create instability in South Asia. According to Dunford, it  would give terrorist groups the space within which to plan and conduct operations against the American people, their homeland and their allies. He also had termed it as a problem that they were trying to solve it.
In the meantime, some other US politicians consider the new situation in Afghanistan as the combination of military escalation and diplomatic initiative that have made a favorable political settlement more likely than at any time in recent memory in the country and the withdraw of the US forces can promote the current process.
Although the US has decided to reduce its troops in Afghanistan, earlier this month, NATO foreign ministers expressed steadfast commitment to ensuring long-term security and stability in Afghanistan. According to Lungescu, their engagement was important to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for international terrorists who could threaten them at home.
Afghan President’s Response to the US Troop Withdrawal
According to a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, a significant reduction in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would not impact upon the security of the war-torn country. It has been the first official Afghan reaction to reports in the U.S. media that President Donald Trump is considering a “significant” withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
What counts here is that Afghanistan shall reinforce its security forces and all the nation must contribute to this end. In order to keep Afghanistan safe, policies and systems have to be in place to stop attacks and prevent our resources from being overwhelmed. In addition, our security keeps the country prepared for any wars and natural disasters. The role of Afghan security is constantly evolving to keep up with the needs of the country and each Afghan shall be considered as a member of the Afghan security forces. Indeed, protecting our country requires community policing; using the community as a resource to minimize the spread of radical ideologies that nourishes the terrorism. By informing and supporting law enforcement through proactive partnerships, Afghan citizens can become key players and reliable partners in what some call “co-produced” public safety.