Afghanistan Has No Need For Permanent US Military Presence In Peace Time - Chief Executive

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published January 22, 2019 | 04:47 PM

Permanent US military presence in Afghanistan will not be needed after peace establishment in the country, and the United States is not insisting on maintaining its bases there, Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah told Sputnik

DAVOS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2019) Permanent US military presence in Afghanistan will not be needed after peace establishment in the country, and the United States is not insisting on maintaining its bases there, Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah told Sputnik.

"First of all, there is no agreement between Afghanistan and the United States on the permanent bases. Second thing, the presence of troops; if we have peace, why do we need presence of troops of any country? If we have peace. That's why Taliban showed disrespect for the opportunities, which we have around, in their messing up with the idea of first troops' withdrawal and then talks," Abdullah said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

According to the chief executive, the Taliban movement believes that in that case "they might have the chance to become full-force, which is not in the interests of any country � Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, anybody.

When asked if the United States was insisting on maintaining military bases in Afghanistan, Abdullah said that was not the case.

"No. As somebody in the politics of the country and as the Chief Executive of the country, I am not aware of that," he said.

Abdullah added that there were no talks on any new US military bases either.

Earlier in January, The Express Tribune newspaper reported, citing government sources, that US diplomats insisted on the maintenance of US military bases in Afghanistan at the talks with representatives of the Taliban held in the United Arab Emirates in December. The military bases of the United States, which would reportedly be located in Afghanistan on a permanent basis, would serve to maintain regional stability and in no way affect the security in the Islamic Republic.