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US reaches agreed troop-cut target of 8,600 – Afghanistan
The United States has reduced its troops level to 8,600 in Afghanistan, fulfilling its obligation as part of the US-Taliban agreement, General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, said Thursday.
“What I would tell you now is we have met our part of the agreement…We agreed to go to the mid-8,000 range within 135 days…We are at that number now, ” said McKenzie in an event hosted by the Aspen Institute think tank on June 18.
The US and the Taliban signed an agreement for bringing peace in Afghanistan on February 29 in Qatar.
Under the deal, the US agreed to reduce its troops in Afghanistan from 12,000 troops to 8,600 by mid-July. In exchange, the group pledged to cut ties with terrorist groups like Al-Qaida.
McKenzie said that the Taliban is no longer friend with the ISIS/Daesh, “What we need to see is what they’re going to do against al-Qaeda. And we need to see that in deeds and not words.”
This top US General said that the withdrawal of the full forces is “conditional” and would happen only if the Taliban fulfill its commitment.
“Conditions would have to be met that satisfy us that attacks against our homeland are not going to be generated from Afghanistan,” he said.
It comes as the NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the Taliban has to live up to their commitments in the agreement they made with the United States.
Addressing a teleconference following the meetings of NATO Defence Ministers, Stoltenberg added, “I am absolutely certain that the only way to reach a political, sustainable, peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan is to have an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process. Therefore, intra-Afghan negotiations are so important.”
“NATO Allies support the peace efforts, and we are closer to real intra-Afghan negotiations now than I think we have ever been before,” he noted.
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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