US President Barack Obama is reportedly considering a total pullout of American troops in Afghanistan next year, instead of the much-touted plan to leave a small “residual force” behind as the war-torn country makes its transition.
The so-called “zero option” of effecting full withdrawal has gained currency lately because Obama is “increasingly frustrated” by his dealings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing US and European officials.
The report also talks of the possibility of an accelerated pullout. While the White House has said the vast majority of US troops would be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, the NYT report said the schedule could be accelerated to bring the bulk of them home by next summer.
There are about 63,000 US troops in Afghanistan right now. This number is slated to go down to 34,000 by next February, with progressive reduction thereafter.
The widely-perceived deterioration in the Obama-Karzai relationship tumbled into full public view last month when an angry Karzai announced his government would boycott any US-led peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar. He also suspended security talks with Washington over the residual American presence after the scheduled withdrawal of forces.
The faceoff prompted Washington to put off the peace talks with the Taliban for the time being. But, after consultations between Obama and Karzai by video conference on June 25, the White House announced that the two leaders have “reaffirmed” their support for “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned” reconciliation talks with the Taliban in Qatar.
But the NYT report said the Obama-Karzai videoconference that was designed to defuse tensions “ended badly”. Citing US and Afghan officials, it said Karzai accused the US of trying to negotiate a separate peace with both the Taliban and its backers in Pakistan, leaving Afghanistan’s fragile government exposed to its enemies.
Flag fracas: Taliban close Qatar office
Islamabad: A diplomat and Taliban official say the Afghan Taliban are closing their Qatar office at least temporarily to protest demands they remove a sign that identified the movement as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The office was opened less than a month ago to facilitate peace talks, and has also come under pressure for using the same white flag flown during the Taliban’s rule of Afghanistan. Both officials, familiar with the peace talks in the Gulf State of Qatar, said on Tuesday that the office has been temporarily abandoned.