The Afghan conflict is “challenging” the Afghan military to leave the U.S. Conflict

The U.S. defense secretary said Afghan forces will “play an important role in stopping the Taliban” as the group escalates its attacks.

The vision of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and NATO partners is to withdraw troops, which will be completed by September 11th. Then, the priority will be to help Afghan security forces “from the horizon,” U.S. senior officials said Thursday.

“Afghan security forces will play a major role in stopping the Taliban and I know that what we are hoping to develop is what we are hoping to develop – more pressure,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Over the past year, there have been daily 80-100 Taliban attacks on Afghan troops, and none against U.S. forces, General Mark Milley, head of the U.S. Chief of Staff, said in a joint Pentagon briefing with Austin.

The US withdrawal is part of an agreement signed between the US President Donald Trump administration and the Taliban in February 2020, which promised that foreign forces would leave Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees, and that the group would negotiate with selected Afghans. Government.

U.S. officials and the Afghan government have complained that the Taliban have not maintained part of the deal. Under the agreement, the withdrawal was to end on May 1. Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden set aside his view based on the terms of the conflict and ordered all military forces to September 11, the 20th anniversary of al-Qaeda. The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan began attacks on Washington and New York.

So far, the U.S. military has closed a base in Helmand province, the equivalent of 60 transport planes left the country and destroyed 1,300 pieces of equipment or will be handed over to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), Milley said.

On Thursday, the Taliban took the key dam in southern Kandahar province, which provides water, energy and drinking water to the fighters. range of group attacks, Including an offensive in Helmand province, from 1 May.

U.S. contractors will also withdraw with troops, which could hamper what the Afghan Air Force is doing. Milley said he currently conducts 80-90% of all airstrikes to support Afghan ground forces. Most of the maintenance of aircraft and helicopters is done by international contractors, and how to continue maintenance without them is “one of the key questions,” Milley said, “that will depend on ground conditions and safety conditions.”

Delivery ceremony at Camp Anthonic, US Army, to the Afghan Defense Forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, May 2, 2021 [Ministry of Defense Press Office/Handout via Reuters]

“The plan is to keep the Afghan Air Force in the air and provide ongoing maintenance,” Milley said.

He also said that the “tremendous predictions” of the Taliban’s victory or the fall of Kabul will be a “foreseeable consequence”.

Once the withdrawal is complete, the U.S. will assist Afghan forces with funding and logistics from outside the country, Austin said.

“We will continue to be partners with the Afghan government, the Afghan military, and we certainly hope that through our continued support, the Afghan security forces will be effective. They have a fairly outstanding capability, but it will be challenging,” Austin said. .