In his long-hours visit to Afghanistan just a day after U.S. President Joe Biden announced his forces will begin leaving the war-torn south-Asian country, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul.
President Ghani welcomed the U.S. decision on troop withdrawal, starting from May 1, according to his office, and emphasized on countries’ joint fight against terrorism.
Now that U.S. forces leave Afghanistan, there are needs for discussions to open a new chapter of relations.
Secretary Blinken assured Ghani that United States would remain committed to Afghanistan, saying Washington will “intensify” its diplomacy to do “everything we can” to advance efforts to secure a peace agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
“The partnership is changing, but the partnership is enduring,” Mr. Blinken assured President Ghani.
During his eight-hour visit, Mr. Blinken also met with advocates of women’s rights, disability rights, youth and media freedom, who “shared their concerns about the Taliban’s intent as well as a strong desire for peace,” a statement by the State Department said.
During a press conference at U.S. embassy in Kabul, Secretary Blinken said Washington will continue its humanitarian support to Afghanistan and advocacy for the rights of women and girls.
He also met with Afghan top peace broker Abdullah Abdullah, who chairs Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, expressing support for the U.S. decision.
“This does not mean the end of relations and cooperation between the two countries. A new chapter of relations and cooperation between the two countries has returned and we will continue our cooperation in various fields in this chapter,” Abdullah said in a statement.
Mr. Blinken’s visit to Kabul comes a day after United States’ President Joe Biden said American forces would begin leaving the long-decades war-torn country on May 1 and finish it on September 11, 2021.
The Taliban, reacting to Biden’s decision on troop withdrawal, called for an “immediate” withdrawal of all foreign troops, blaming Washington for violating the February troop withdrawal agreement.
Posing an implicit threat, the group warned it would “take every necessary countermeasure, hence the American side will be held responsible for all future consequences.”
Under a peace deal Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, signed with the Taliban on late February last year, Washington and foreign allies were committed to leave Afghanistan by May 1. President Biden has now pushed back that date four months from the May deadline.
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