NATO staying as long as necessary in Afghanistan

A senior US defense official cited by Reuters Monday said Donald Trump's desire to get US troops "home by Christmas" had featured in a "flurry of calls" among NATO allies. 

From Brussels, NATO spokewoman Oana Lungescu said the alliance's stance in conflict-ravaged Afghanistan "hasn't changed."

NATO's mission Resolute Support comprises, according to its website, around 16,000 troops from 38 nations, half of them from the United States. 

Lungescu, however, put the troop strength Monday at "under 12,000" and quoted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as saying "we continue to adjust our presence." 

"No NATO ally wants to stay any longer than necessary. At the same time, we want to preserve the gains made with such sacrifice," Lungescu said

 

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NATO will 'continue to consult'

Stoltenberg had just held talks with Chris Miller, whom Trump appointed last week as acting US defense secretary after sacking Mark Esper. The latter had, according to AP, sought to talk Trump out of complete withdrawals from Afghanistan and Syria. 

"More than half of these are non-US forces," Lungescu noted about Resolute Support, highlighting the multinational complexity of the Afghan mission established in 2015 under a UN Security Council resolution. 

NATO allies — dependent on US logistics — would "continue to consult" on the mission, "in a coordinated manner and based on conditions on the ground," she stressed. 

'Coordination' discussed, says Pentagon

The US Department of Defense said Miller and Stoltenberg had "discussed the continued importance of coordination in support of NATO Missions in Afghanistan and Iraq." 

Afghanistan has remained gripped by violence in recent months, with negotiators between its Kabul government and the Taliban in Qatar making little progress after US-Taliban talks highlighted by Trump last year. 

Campaigning for reelection during October, Trump had tweeted" we should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas." 

Designated US Defense Secretary Chris Miller last weekend said it was time for US overseas forces "to come home." However, he did not offer a timetable. 

ipj/rt (Reuters, AP)