Afghan Withdrawal: Peace Efforts Are America’s Responsibility

America is obviously fatigued by the longest war in its history. Yet it cannot abandon the people who live there to an even longer war.

President Joe Biden has announced that all of the American troops stationed in Afghanistan will be withdrawn by Sept. 11. NATO will pull out at the same time. Altogether, about 10,000 soldiers will leave this country.

The withdrawal date of May that the Donald Trump administration had set was extended by four months. But there is no change in the pullout from the Afghan conflict that began under American guidance after the coordinated terror attacks of 2001.

In his speech, Biden emphasized that the goal of the American occupation — ensuring that Afghanistan would not again be used for terrorist attacks on the American homeland — had been fulfilled.

But this point of view is contested even domestically. In Afghanistan, the Taliban, an armed rebel force, is strong even now.

American intelligence agencies released a report this month that claims that “Kabul continues to face setbacks on the battlefield, and the Taliban is confident it can achieve military victory.” Locals worry that if foreign armies leave, Afghanistan may revert to another violent civil war.

If a power vacuum opens up, will Afghanistan again become a hotbed of international terror? The Biden administration bears the heavy responsibility of peace-building to stem these anxieties.

It is vital to call a truce and push for an accord between the Afghan government and Taliban. If Biden withdraws without putting in that effort, he cannot evade the criticism that the nationalism of the Trump administration is unchanged.

The Biden administration is groping around for peace. Earlier, it proposed a provisional government that shares power between the current Afghan government and the Taliban. Starting on April 24, an international conference will meet in Turkey.

But the road ahead is treacherous. The Taliban has hinted that it will boycott negotiations as long as foreign armies remain. America must stubbornly persuade them in coordination with influential neighboring countries like Pakistan.

The threat of international terrorist organizations isn’t only aimed at America. It is a grave subject as well for China, which borders Afghanistan, and Russia, which invaded Afghanistan in the Soviet era. The Biden administration should seek cooperation with them over this problem.

The American military’s new withdrawal date is 20 years after the coordinated terror attacks on the U.S. A show for the war-weary American public should not be prioritized. The true principles of the Biden administration, which promotes international cooperation, are being tested.