General John Nicholson top US Army commander has referred to earlier comments by secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, saying the United States is ready to talk to the Taliban, and discuss the role of international forces in Afghanistan.
Nicholson said the US is ready for direct negotiations with the Taliban to end the 17-year-long war in Afghanistan, a major shift in American policy in the Central Asian country.
Meanwhile, Kathy Kelly, an activist and co-coordinator of "voices for creative non-violence", said on Monday that she believes it is unlikely the US will pull out of Afghanistan entirely. Kelly added: "US is the wealthiest warlord in Afghanistan.
Hamed Karzai the former Afghan president said, the security situation in Afghanistan is worst today because a lot of criminal activity has taken place in the country, and because of the change in the policy that United States vis-a-vis Afghanistan, a change of policy which has led to war and violence.
We don’t believe US troops will leave Afghanistan, they might reduce the number of their troops in Afghanistan, but we don’t think they will leave completely.
The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as a reaction to the 9/11 terror attacks, with the mission lasting until December 28, 2014. In 2015, NATO initiated a new mission, code named "Resolute Support," which was aimed at providing training assistance to Afghan security forces. Nevertheless, endless US operations have not resulted in peace in the country.
