Germany Intends to Withdraw Troops From Afghanistan by July 4

The German Defense Ministry said that Berlin will try to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by July 4, before the September 11 deadline given by US President Joe Biden for the complete withdrawal of US troops.

Defense Ministry spokesman David Helmbold said Germany is trying complete the withdrawal of German forces from Afghanistan by July 4.

“The Resolute Support Mission headquarters in Kabul is currently considering whether to shorten the withdrawal period,” Defense Ministry spokesman David Helmbold told media in the capital Berlin.

“The 4th of July is now being considered as a pullout date. The ministry informed the [German parliament’s] defense committee about this today,” he said.

German forces were previously scheduled to pull out of Afghanistan by mid-August.

There are around 1,300 German troops still deployed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led mission Resolute Support to train Afghan security forces.

First Vice President Amrullah Saleh during a trip to Kandahar province said that the process of withdrawal of foreign forces from that province has begun, and their numbers will reach zero within a month’s time.

“The withdrawal announcement further added to the vanity of the Taliban and gave them a sense of victory. We witnessed such behavior from the Taliban since February 2020, therefore the Taliban think that their objective of establishing an Islamic system has been completed, therefore they are not willing to hold purposeful peace negotiations,” said Nader Nadery, a member of the peace negotiating team representing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in the talks with the Taliban.

The New York Times has reported that the US is planning deploy an aircraft carrier in the region to provide air support as the US withdraws.

US military officials said the request to deploy an aircraft carrier was sent to the desk of Pentagon Chief Lloyd J. Austin, who is expected to decide soon, The New York Times reported.

“The request has been made by Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the head of Central Command, military officials said, who asked for 24-hour support from a carrier, with its attendant fighter squadrons, and it is being viewed as a specific reference to the Eisenhower, which left its home port in Virginia in February and headed to the Mediterranean Sea,” said the New York Times.

The Pentagon describes such a move as a “military retrograde operation” to protect troops as they leave an area.

“It’s not over yet,” Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters aboard his airplane last week, just after President Joe Biden announced the Afghanistan withdrawal. “We have a lot of work ahead of us to make sure we get out in a good and orderly fashion, protect the force and continue defending America.”

US President Joe Biden announced that the United States will withdraw its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11.

The US is currently establishing a new counterterrorism approach to Afghanistan now that US troops are withdrawing. Quoting US diplomats and military officials, The New York Times reported that possibilities in the region include Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.