April 15 U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on the 15th and held talks with Afghan President Ghani.
According to a statement issued by the Afghan presidential palace, Ghani and Blinken in the capital Kabul the same day on the withdrawal of U. S. troops and counter-terrorism and other issues exchanged views.
Ghani said Afghanistan respects the U.S. government’s decision to withdraw troops from the country by September 11 this year, and that the Afghan defense and security forces are fully capable of safeguarding national security.
Blinking said the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan does not mean weakening relations with Afghanistan, and the U.S. will continue to provide diplomatic and humanitarian support to Afghan and Afghan security forces to advance the peace process in Afghanistan.
The two sides agreed to open a new chapter in bilateral cooperation through continued consultations, the statement said.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that U.S. troops in Afghanistan will withdraw by September 11 this year to end the longest war in U.S. history.
The United States launched the war in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The U.S. government signed an agreement with the Afghan Taliban at the end of February 2020, pledging to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan from about 13,000 to 8,600 within 135 days, with the remaining U.S. and NATO coalition troops withdrawing by May.
The Taliban have promised not to allow its members and members of other groups, including al Qaeda, to use Afghan soil to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.
