NATO Troops to Stay in Afghanistan Beyond the May Deadline

International troops plan to stay in Afghanistan beyond the May deadline envisaged by the insurgent Taliban's deal with the United States, four senior NATO officials said, a move that could escalate tensions with the Taliban demanding full withdrawal.

Alejandro Licea / Reuters

About 157,000 people have been killed in the Afghanistan war since 2001. More than 43,000 of those killed have been civilians. However, the actual figures may be multiple acknowledged figures formally.

Afghan war and disorder have had a devastating impact on Afghanistan as well as on the whole region. Millions have been killed, millions more have been forced to flee their homes, and the country's infrastructure and forests have all but been destroyed. The social fabric of the country is fractured, and state institutions are fragile and weak.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country located on the major trading routes, connecting Central Asia, East-Asia, Eurasia, and China, with Arabian Sea, through Pakistan. The newly constructed Gwadar port will change the trading pattern completely. New trading partners will have emerged, and Gwadar will become the hub of the whole region's commercial activities.

Lack of Peace and Stability was a major hurdle in the region's development and the root cause of poverty. There is a strong will in the regional nations to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan to improve the region's connectivity, resulting in more economic activities and bringing prosperity for all in the area.

There is complete consensus that the Afghan war is un-winable. The U.S. troops' withdrawal is the only option; the sooner, the better. President Trump initiated negotiations with Taliban directly, without involving the puppet Government of Ashraf Ghani. However, Pakistan played a role of facilitator to bring the Taliban to negotiating table. A peace deal was reached between the U.S. and Talban as a result of Doha rounds of talks.

As promised, President Trump has withdrawn most of the troops before the end of his term and leaves only 2500 soldiers in Afghanistan. The deadline set for complete withdrawal was before May this year.

The Recent NATO remarks to keep troops beyond the May deadline is somewhat irrational as there is complete consensus in the region for respecting the peace deal. Any deviation from the agreed deal, may create complications.

Russia and China are the major stakeholders in this region and are entirely one page for Afghanistan's sustainable peace and stability. Russia or China may not welcome any attempt to derail the peace process. Both Russia and China have the potential to resist any deviation from the agreed peace deal.

It is desired that the new U.S. administration may review its policies in respect of ground situation and respect the regional point of view.