US Threatens To Completely Withdraw from Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s president wants to defer signing the security agreement with the U.S. and is making new demands. The Americans are reacting in an unusually open way, showing their irritation.

During a dispute about the planned security agreement with Afghanistan, the U.S. has threatened to withdraw all their troops next year. National security consultant Susan Rice has demanded that Afghan President Hamid Karzai sign the agreement “promptly.” Otherwise, Washington will have to withdraw all troops.

“Without a prompt signature, the U.S. would have no choice but to initiate planning for a post-2014 future in which there would be no U.S. or NATO troop presence in Afghanistan,” stated Rice. The signature can by no means wait until the election in Afghanistan next year, as intended by the Afghan president. This is “not viable.”

However, it seems that Karzai has not relented despite these direct warnings, the U.S. government has reported. Instead, he has made it clear that he is not prepared to give a quick signature this year. The head of state demanded, among other things, that there be no more operations with foreign troops in residential areas. The peace process with the Islamist Taliban would have to be set in motion and free elections take place.

The relationship between Afghanistan and the U.S. has been tense for a long time. However, it is unusual for the White House to express their views on the conflict in such an honest manner.

At the same time, the Loya Jirga — the large council assembly in Kabul — approved the agreement’s core at the weekend. The chieftain instructed Karzai to sign the agreement before the end of the year so that it will enter it into force. The president wants to leave this to his successor, who will be voted into office in April 2014. Karzai himself is not allowed to stand again, after having been in power for two terms.

For the U.S., the signature on this security agreement will guarantee U.S. troops, among others, Hindu Kush immunity with the Afghan justice system, an indispensable prerequisite for the deployment of troops beyond 2014. According to the current plan, all foreign fighting troops are to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of next year. The U.S. wants to leave troops at the Hindu Kush beyond 2014 in order to train and advise Afghan security forces. Without the continued presence of U.S. soldiers, there’s fear of a violent flare up.