Kabul: (Raja Furqan Ahmed) NATO on Thursday said that its members would consult and decide on when to leave Afghanistan after US President Donald Trump asserted to bring all American forces home by Christmas. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg exclaimed the alliance’s longstanding position that it will end its mission in Afghanistan only when “conditions on the ground” permit. “We decided to go into Afghanistan together, we will make decisions on future adjustments together, and when the time is right, we will leave together,” said Stoltenberg. He further added that: “We will make decisions based on the conditions on the ground because we think it is extremely important to continue to be committed to the future of Afghanistan because it is in our interest to preserve the long term security of Afghanistan.”
Earlier, US President Donald Trump tweeted: “We should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!”
On the other side, the Taliban group welcomed Trump’s tweet. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Trump’s statement was welcome and he considered it a “positive step” for the implementation of the peace agreement.
