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Mike Pence says Trump would not have withdrawn troops from Afghanistan
Former US Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday he believes former President Donald Trump would have kept a “couple thousand American forces” in Afghanistan despite striking a deal with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).
The US State Department released a report Friday faulting both the presidential administrations of Donald Trump and Joe Biden for the botched withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021.
The department’s “After Action Review” report stated the Trump administration had an “insufficient senior level consideration of worst-case scenarios,” listed Trump’s desire to end a military presence and alleged there was “no plan or effort to help at risk Afghans” nor a plan on “how to keep diplomats in Kabul after withdrawal.”
Pence said in an interview with CBS he does not believe the Trump administration bears any responsibility for the debacle.
“It was made very clear, I was in the room when President Trump told the leader of the Taliban (IEA)— he said, ‘Look, you’re gonna have to cooperate with the Afghan government. You don’t harbor terrorists and you don’t harm any American soldiers.’ We went 18 months without a single American casualty until the day at that Kabul airport, we lost thirteen brave American service members.”
“The blame for what happened here falls squarely on the current commander-in-chief. And under our administration, I promise you, that while it was the intention of the former president to pull all troops out, when the Taliban (IEA) broke the deal and moved into Mazar-e-Sharif and Joe Biden did nothing, that set in motion the catastrophe that became Afghanistan and the heartbreaking end to 20 years of conflict,” the former vice president said.
Pence was asked if the Trump administration would have kept the troops on the ground despite striking the deal.
“Well, look, candidly it was all my belief that it would be prudent to keep a couple thousand of American forces there to support our efforts against terrorists both in Afghanistan and in the region and I think we ultimately would’ve done that, just as the president announced we were— the former president announced we were out of Syria,” he answered.
The State Department report also found the Biden administration did not know who was in charge of coordinating the department’s role in the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Pakistan says communities living along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line want peace and stability, despite ongoing security concerns in the region.
Speaking during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said there are no major issues between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that residents on both sides of the Durand Line want peaceful relations and greater regional stability.
However, Andrabi claimed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory continues to undermine peace efforts.
He said Islamabad believes militant activity crossing from Afghanistan remains a significant obstacle to improving regional security and bilateral ties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, maintaining that no militant group is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.
Andrabi also said Pakistan remains diplomatically engaged on regional matters involving Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Somalia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain Islamabad’s preferred means of resolving disputes.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
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