Taliban on verge of victory over NATO in Afghanistan: European diplomat admits 'this war is not winnable'

[hussain0216]

Taliban on verge of victory over NATO in Afghanistan: European diplomat admits 'this war is not winnable' as President Biden decides whether to keep Trump's promise to remove troops
By Chris Pleasance for MailOnline and Wires
08:01, 17 Feb 2021 , updated 08:49, 17 Feb 2021

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NATO allies taking part in two-day talks; first since President Biden took office
Top of the agenda will be whether to pull 9,600 NATO troops out of Afghanistan
US is currently scheduled to withdraw all of its troops in May, and NATO is unlikely to remain in the country if that move goes ahead
NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg says troops will remain 'as long as necessary', but privately European diplomats have admitted 'this war is not winnable'
NATO leaders are set to discuss withdrawing from Afghanistan this week as they meet for their first talks since Joe Biden took office.

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The US is currently committed to withdrawing its remaining 2,500 troops by May under a peace deal signed by President Trump, with NATO unlikely to leave its 9,600 soldiers in the country if America quits.

But the May deadline is under review by Biden, whose advisers have told him to delay withdrawal until a wave of attacks by Taliban fighters on government forces stops and peace talks reach an 'acceptable' conclusion.

Publicly, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insists that NATO troops will not leave 'before the time is right'. But privately, European diplomats admit 'this war is not winnable'.

NATO defence chiefs are taking part in two days of talks this week, with the issue of whether to fully withdraw troops from Afghanistan at the top of the agenda (file image) +4
NATO defence chiefs are taking part in two days of talks this week, with the issue of whether to fully withdraw troops from Afghanistan at the top of the agenda (file image)
Leaders of the alliance are taking part in two days of virtual talks which begin Wednesday and will continue Thursday.

Biden has promised greater cooperation with America's allies than they got under Trump, who infamously shunned NATO summits or stormed out early.

Defence ministers will not make any firm announcement following the talks, but will hope to glean insight into each-other's thinking and plot a rough course forward.

New US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will 'consult with allies about the process and take their feedback' to Washington, a senior US official said.

'All options remain under consideration,' the official added.

Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February last year which committed the US to gradually withdraw troops, provided the group cut ties with Al Qaeda and engaged in peace talks with the government.

But attacks on government forces have increased in recent months, and analysts now warn that withdrawing completely would simply hand the country back to the Taliban - making it a safe haven for terror groups.

'We believe a U.S. withdrawal will provide terrorists an opportunity to reconstitute, and that reconstitution will take place within about 18 to 36 months,' said Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump.

NATO countries are desperate not to see Afghanistan slide back into serving as a sanctuary for groups like Al-Qaeda, more than two decades after the alliance launched operations there in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

NATO allies set to discuss Afghanistan withdrawal at two-day summit

NATO defence ministers are meeting virtually for two days of talks with the issue of whether to push ahead with a full withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan likely to be at the top of the agenda.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[waz]

Regardless Pakistan will always play the main role.

 

[Path-Finder]

Problem is Biden wants to take things where it was vice president running the show to being president at the helm of affairs BUT the world since obama and its bloodthirsty team was sent home for 4 years has returned with all the same grizzly beasts looking for bloodshed. Sadly the world is NOT statistic to 2016 and many many ground realities have changed.

The yanks want to start another round then fine But they are NOT going to win.

 

[Gangetic]

American continued occupation of Afghanistan is the main cause of instability and unrest in the region.

 

[Mirzali Khan]

Problem is Biden wants to take things where it was vice president running the show to being president at the helm of affairs BUT the world since obama and its bloodthirsty team was sent home for 4 years has returned with all the same grizzly beasts looking for bloodshed. Sadly the world is NOT statistic to 2016 and many many ground realities have changed.

The yanks want to start another round then fine But they are NOT going to win.

Tbh I don't know if that will happen. I think Biden will try to engage with China now.

 

[IceCold]

Biden is just delaying the inevitable, trying to portray himself as the tough guy just like when trump got into the oval office, he dropped Mother of all bombs on Afghanistan, later only to settle was a quick withdrawal. Biden will follow suit.

 

[Taimoor Khan]

This line from PMIK, which he has repeated few times, that "Pakistan is partner in peace", should be the focal point of Pakistan strategy for Afghanistan. Partner in peace, by default, leave no room for "Partner in war". So if American establishment wants to carry on fighting in Afghanistan with both conventional and sub-conventional means, they should do that on their own, with Pakistan no part of it. which mean, no supply lines from Pakistan (ground and air) to sustain the war in Afghanistan.

 

[Path-Finder]

Tbh I don't know if that will happen. I think Biden will try to engage with China now.

they are making any excuse to extend their stay and backing out of an agreement. I see bloodshed on the horizon as we have an occupying force who wants to have its cake and eat it. But the natives are not going to allow them to stay past Lunch.

 

[CAPRICORN-88]

Afghanistan belongs to her people.
Talibans are Afghans but the troops from USA and NATO are not.

So the solution is for the Afghans to settle their internal problem by themselves.
Just like what is happening in Myanmar or in Thailand.

ASEAN has to respects Myanmar, Thailand by not interfering.

If the Talibans venture beyond their borders then these other nations reserve the right to attack them but not occupied them.

 

[PeaceGen]

Taliban on verge of victory over NATO in Afghanistan: European diplomat admits 'this war is not winnable' as President Biden decides whether to keep Trump's promise to remove troops
By Chris Pleasance for MailOnline and Wires
08:01, 17 Feb 2021 , updated 08:49, 17 Feb 2021

+4
55
shares
1.2k comments
NATO allies taking part in two-day talks; first since President Biden took office
Top of the agenda will be whether to pull 9,600 NATO troops out of Afghanistan
US is currently scheduled to withdraw all of its troops in May, and NATO is unlikely to remain in the country if that move goes ahead
NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg says troops will remain 'as long as necessary', but privately European diplomats have admitted 'this war is not winnable'
NATO leaders are set to discuss withdrawing from Afghanistan this week as they meet for their first talks since Joe Biden took office.

Advertisement
The US is currently committed to withdrawing its remaining 2,500 troops by May under a peace deal signed by President Trump, with NATO unlikely to leave its 9,600 soldiers in the country if America quits.

But the May deadline is under review by Biden, whose advisers have told him to delay withdrawal until a wave of attacks by Taliban fighters on government forces stops and peace talks reach an 'acceptable' conclusion.

Publicly, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insists that NATO troops will not leave 'before the time is right'. But privately, European diplomats admit 'this war is not winnable'.

NATO defence chiefs are taking part in two days of talks this week, with the issue of whether to fully withdraw troops from Afghanistan at the top of the agenda (file image) +4
NATO defence chiefs are taking part in two days of talks this week, with the issue of whether to fully withdraw troops from Afghanistan at the top of the agenda (file image)
Leaders of the alliance are taking part in two days of virtual talks which begin Wednesday and will continue Thursday.

Biden has promised greater cooperation with America's allies than they got under Trump, who infamously shunned NATO summits or stormed out early.

Defence ministers will not make any firm announcement following the talks, but will hope to glean insight into each-other's thinking and plot a rough course forward.

New US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will 'consult with allies about the process and take their feedback' to Washington, a senior US official said.

'All options remain under consideration,' the official added.

Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February last year which committed the US to gradually withdraw troops, provided the group cut ties with Al Qaeda and engaged in peace talks with the government.

But attacks on government forces have increased in recent months, and analysts now warn that withdrawing completely would simply hand the country back to the Taliban - making it a safe haven for terror groups.

'We believe a U.S. withdrawal will provide terrorists an opportunity to reconstitute, and that reconstitution will take place within about 18 to 36 months,' said Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump.

NATO countries are desperate not to see Afghanistan slide back into serving as a sanctuary for groups like Al-Qaeda, more than two decades after the alliance launched operations there in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

NATO allies set to discuss Afghanistan withdrawal at two-day summit

NATO defence ministers are meeting virtually for two days of talks with the issue of whether to push ahead with a full withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan likely to be at the top of the agenda.

www.dailymail.co.uk

it's not a defeat, it's a graceful retreat, after teaching the Taliban some lessons about attacks to western targets.

if the Taliban ever become a real threat to western populations again, then we can always just send our army back in.

 

[gangsta_rap]

if the Taliban ever become a real threat to western populations again

what do you mean 'again'? when was the last time they were a threat to the west?

 

[CrazyZ]

it's not a defeat, it's a graceful retreat, after teaching the Taliban some lessons about attacks to western targets.

if the Taliban ever become a real threat to western populations again, then we can always just send our army back in.

Don't believe the fake news. 911 attacks were planned in Germany......not in Afghanistan. Taliban knew nothing about the operation, and had little interest in global terror attacks. Biggest flaw of the campaign was to lump Al Qaeda and the Taliban together. USA and NATO should have limited revenge ops to Al Qaeda, wiped them out, declared victory and gone home. It was a huge strategic miscalculation to make defeating the Taliban an objective as well. It turned the war into an unwinnable quagmire. If westerners don't know who the enemy is and how to defeat them.....then there better off withdrawing their forces.

 

[cloud4000]

But attacks on government forces have increased in recent months, and analysts now warn that withdrawing completely would simply hand the country back to the Taliban - making it a safe haven for terror groups.

'We believe a U.S. withdrawal will provide terrorists an opportunity to reconstitute, and that reconstitution will take place within about 18 to 36 months,' said Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump.

NATO countries are desperate not to see Afghanistan slide back into serving as a sanctuary for groups like Al-Qaeda, more than two decades after the alliance launched operations there in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

First, the Taliban of today is completely different than the Taliban of the 1990s.
Second, the US never had an issue with the Taliban, per se. Taliban was never put on terror lists or on sanctions.
Third, it's not in the interests of the regional players -- China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia -- to allow terrorism to foment in Afghanistan, as they would be the primary targets.

I think Biden reviewing Afghanistan through a strictly CT prism is myopic. Things have changed significantly to abandon the peace process now, especially since it's on the verge of being completed.

The US should stay the course.

 

[SQ8]

First, the Taliban of today is completely different than the Taliban of the 1990s.
Second, the US never had an issue with the Taliban, per se. Taliban was never put on terror lists or on sanctions.
Third, it's not in the interests of the regional players -- China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia -- to allow terrorism to foment in Afghanistan, as they would be the primary targets.

I think Biden reviewing Afghanistan through a strictly CT prism is myopic. Things have changed significantly to abandon the peace process now, especially since it's on the verge of being completed.

The US should stay the course.

The last time the Taliban were in power - there were two Hijackings of Pakistani citizens to coerce for weapons, extremism fermented to deadly levels leading to human ammunition for the 40k plus deaths, and the Pakistani football team were forcibly made baldies for wearing shorts in a supposed friendly game.
So yes, one hopes these aren’t the same Taliban

 

[CrazyZ]

First, the Taliban of today is completely different than the Taliban of the 1990s.
Second, the US never had an issue with the Taliban, per se. Taliban was never put on terror lists or on sanctions.
Third, it's not in the interests of the regional players -- China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia -- to allow terrorism to foment in Afghanistan, as they would be the primary targets.

I think Biden reviewing Afghanistan through a strictly CT prism is myopic. Things have changed significantly to abandon the peace process now, especially since it's on the verge of being completed.

The US should stay the course.

USA has also changed. Fighting for women's education is a noble cause but not a security priority for USA. Those funds could go to educating unemployed Americans or electricity for freezing Texans.