A report submitted to the US Congress on Wednesday advised against a May 1 deadline for the planned withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The timing of the troop withdrawal should support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Islamist Taliban movement, and should be conditioned on progress in the talks and Taliban efforts to minimize violence, the report said. It further warned that the complete withdrawal of American troops before a long-lasting agreement is achieved risks destabilizing the region and reviving al-Qaida.
US officials have warned that the Taliban continue to maintain ties with al-Qaida despite the Afghan organization’s statements to the contrary.
The report, commissioned by Congress, said that the peace process would not come to fruition before May 1 and that achieving an agreement in line with US interests required an extension of the withdrawal deadline hammered out in US-Taliban talks.
According to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the newly installed Biden Administration “looks like they will be very receptive to the recommendations.” Former President Donald Trump had ordered that the number of US troops deployed in the Central Asian country be reduced to a maximum of 2,500 by January.