US Congressional Report, "Opposition to May Withdrawal of US Troops in Afghanistan... Deployment Period Should Be Extended"

"US Troop Withdrawal in May Could Lead to Terror Groups Rebuilding Within 3 Years"
Taliban Opposes, Urges Trump Administration to Keep Promises

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Afghanistan Study Group (ASG), a bipartisan panel in the U.S. Congress, submitted a report to Congress opposing the planned withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan in May and calling for a postponement of the withdrawal deadline. Amid the Biden administration's announcement that it is reviewing the Afghan withdrawal policy established by the Trump administration, the Afghan armed group Taliban has reacted by threatening to resume terrorist attacks if the U.S. reneges on the withdrawal agreement.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP) on the 3rd (local time), the ASG, composed of bipartisan congressional members and experts, stated in a report prepared at Congress's request that "if U.S. troops withdraw completely in May as planned, Afghanistan will become a safe haven for terrorists," and "terrorist organizations could be fully rebuilt within three years," opposing the May withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. This report emerged amid intensifying controversy over whether the Biden administration will continue the Trump administration's policy of complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May, based on the 14-month withdrawal agreement signed with the Taliban in February last year.

Joseph Dunford, former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and ASG's chief responsible officer, said, "The report was also shared with close aides of President Joe Biden," adding, "Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy for Afghan peace negotiations, said the report is helpful." After receiving the report, the U.S. State Department responded in a spokesperson's statement that "the withdrawal agreement with the Taliban is under review, and no decision has yet been made regarding the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan."

Earlier, on the 31st of last month, AP and major foreign media reported, citing four senior NATO officials, that even if U.S. troops withdraw in early May as planned by the Trump administration, NATO forces and international allied troops other than U.S. forces will not fully withdraw from Afghanistan. Currently, about 2,500 U.S. troops and approximately 7,500 NATO and international allied troops are stationed in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the Afghan armed group Taliban has opposed this shift in U.S. policy. In a statement released on the 1st, the Taliban warned, "If foreign troops remain in Afghanistan beyond the May 1 deadline, we will resume attacks against them." In fact, terrorist attacks have been increasing in Afghanistan alongside the change in U.S. policy. According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), over 2,500 civilians were killed in terrorist attacks in Afghanistan during the fourth quarter of last year. SIGAR described this as "an unusually high number of attacks for the winter season when warfare typically decreases."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.