Dunford Recommends US Withdrawal From Afghanistan When No Longer Sanctuary For Terrorists

Washington should withdraw from Afghanistan when it can ensure the country is no longer a safe haven for terrorists targeting the United States, US Joints Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said during a hearing before the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2019) Washington should withdraw from Afghanistan when it can ensure the country is no longer a safe haven for terrorists targeting the United States, US Joints Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said during a hearing before the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

"Beyond the Taliban, when I make a recommendation to the Secretary (of Defense) and our president about our future presence in Afghanistan, it will be based on our national interest and the fact that Afghanistan is not a sanctuary from which terrorists can attacks the American people on the American homeland," Dunford said when asked what conditions would he expect from the Taliban before the United States is able to withdraw from Afghanistan.

Dunford said he is encouraged that the Afghan peace talks include legitimate representatives from the Afghan government and Afghan people.

US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is visiting this week Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Qatar for talks aimed at facilitating the Afghan peace process.

During his visit, Khalilzad will address with Afghan government officials and others the status of the US talks with the Taliban movement and will discuss next steps in intra-Afghan negotiations.

In late February, negotiations between the Taliban and US officials kicked off in the Qatari capital of Doha. As of mid-March, the parties managed to develop a draft agreement on the Taliban's counterterrorism assurances and the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan that have been assisting the country's national forces for almost 18 years.

Russia has also served as a facilitator for consultations on Afghanistan. In early February, Moscow hosted an intra-Afghan meeting albeit without representatives of the Afghan government. The Taliban have vehemently refused to engage in direct talks with the Afghan government and they refer to them as "US puppets."

Earlier in March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Khalilzad, who leads the US-Taliban talks, periodically meets with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov. Lavrov said such meetings are a good thing to unite existing efforts and help Afghans start a national dialogue to end the conflict in their country.