NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday signaled opposition to President Trump’s plan to pull more U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and he cautioned that “leaving too soon” could lead to terrorist strikes against America and its allies.
In a statement, Mr. Stoltenberg said all NATO allies are eager to leave Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war, but he stressed that a withdrawal must only happen when “the time is right” on the ground. His comments come after reports that Mr. Trump will soon issue formal orders to cut the number of American forces in Afghanistan from 4,500 to about 2,500.
Mr. Stoltenberg’s comments echo those of critics in the U.S., including some Republican lawmakers, who fear that an early American exit could represent a serious national security threat and could recreate the conditions seen in Afghanistan during the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“We now face a difficult decision. We have been in Afghanistan for almost 20 years, and no NATO ally wants to stay any longer than necessary,” Mr. Stoltenberg said in a statement, a copy of which was provided to The Washington Times. “But at the same time, the price for leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way could be very high. Afghanistan risks becoming once again a platform for international terrorists to plan and organize attacks on our homelands. And ISIS could rebuild in Afghanistan the terror caliphate it lost in Syria and Iraq.”
Indeed, recent Pentagon assessments have warned that al Qaeda and the Islamic State both retain a presence in Afghanistan, particularly in remote border regions near Pakistan.
Getting U.S. forces out of Afghanistan has been a top foreign policy goal for Mr. Trump throughout his four years in office. Last February, the U.S. struck a peace deal with the Taliban that calls for the gradual withdrawal of American forces in exchange for security guarantees from the insurgent group.
The U.S. had about 12,000 troops in the country at the time the deal was signed. The figure is now down to 4,500, and the agreement says that all American forces should leave by mid-2021. The White House is pushing for an accelerated timeline, and top administration officials have said they want the number down to 2,500 early next year.
Mr. Trump is expected to make an announcement to that effect as soon as this week. He is also expected to order a smaller drawdown of forces in Iraq.
Military officials have expressed concerns about the rapid withdrawals, but newly installed Acting Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller has made clear in recent days that he is committed to bringing U.S. forces home.
In a message to Pentagon staff late Monday, Mr. Miller said one of his primary goals is to “bring the current war to an end in a responsible manner that guarantees the security of our citizens.”
Regardless of what the U.S. might do, Mr. Stoltenberg said NATO forces will retain their presence in Afghanistan.
“NATO Allies support the peace process in Afghanistan. As part of this process, we have already significantly adjusted our presence,” he said. “And we have repeatedly said that we will continue to review our troop levels. We now have under 12,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan, and more than half of these are non-US forces. Even with further US reductions, NATO will continue its mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces. We are also committed to funding them through 2024.”
“We went into Afghanistan together. And when the time is right, we should leave together in a coordinated and orderly way,” Mr. Stoltenberg said. “I count on all NATO allies to live up to this commitment, for our own security.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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