The US and other NATO countries have officially started withdrawing all troops and equipment from Afghanistan today. This has entered the final phase of the almost twenty years of ongoing war.
The approximately 3,000 American and 7,000 NATO soldiers must be gone by September 11. That decision came from US President Biden, who named May 1 as the start date.
But because his predecessor Donald Trump had already signed an agreement with the Taliban last year to leave by May 1, 2021, the situation is now tense.
Taliban threatens
“Breaking this promise paves the way for any counter-action we deem appropriate against the occupiers,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter today. To that threat, he added that a decision by the Taliban leadership is still being awaited.
It is difficult to say how realistic the chance of such an attack is now that the invasion force is about to leave. The Afghan government in Kabul does not seem to be taking any risks and has given the capital extra security. The White House warns that any attack by Taliban fighters will trigger a counter-attack “by whatever means we have”.
Additional Dutch soldiers
There are currently about 230 Dutch soldiers in the Central Asian country. About 150 participated in a training mission for Afghan security services. Another 80 soldiers were sent last week to support the outgoing troops. These were to the annoyance of the House of Representatives already left before a parliamentary debate was held about it.
In just a few weeks, more than 100 soldiers of the Afghan government army have been killed in fighting against the Taliban. The government states that the situation is and will remain under control once NATO troops have left. But in recent years, the Islamic group has gained more territory. Peace negotiations between the Taliban and the government in Kabul are still stalled.
War dead
The US, along with NATO forces, invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in the aftermath of the attacks on the WTC in New York. Since then, the war has claimed the lives of some 47,000 Afghan civilians, according to research project Costs of War.
According to the same American research institute, more than 2,400 American soldiers have died. Some 51,000 Taliban fighters and 66,000 government soldiers have been killed in fighting or attacks. A total of 25 Dutch soldiers died during the missions in Afghanistan.
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