The withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan is becoming clearer.
US President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that Americans would soon be leaving Afghan soil, before NATO followed suit.
Joe Biden's government announced that all American troops would leave Afghanistan "unconditionally" by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 2001 attacks in the United States, despite growing fears of an Islamist victory Taliban.
An American official assured journalists that this departure would be "coordinated" and simultaneous with that of the other NATO forces (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
On September 11, 2001, a series of attacks hit the United States.
All of these simultaneous attacks, including the crash of two planes on the New York towers of the World Trade Center, caused nearly 3,000 deaths.
Despite the 2020 US-Taliban agreement, violence remains very high on the ground between insurgents and Afghan forces.
In a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Antony Blinken, the US foreign minister, recently warned that a withdrawal from his country could lead to "rapid territorial gains" from the Taliban.
Last year's agreement called for the withdrawal of all U.S. and foreign forces by May 1 of this year, on condition that insurgents in the future prevent any terrorist group from operating from Afghan territory they control.
Up to 100,000 American soldiers in 2010-2011
The Americans ousted the Taliban from power in the wake of their intervention in 2001, accused of hosting the jihadist group Al-Qaeda responsible for the attacks, but then got bogged down.
At the height of their presence, 100,000 American troops were deployed in the country in 2010-2011.
Former President Barack Obama had reduced these numbers to 8,400 men, then his successor Donald Trump had sent reinforcements, to bring them to 14,000 in 2017. But he then started the gradual withdrawal: there are only 2,500 left. American soldiers in Afghanistan.
Counter-terrorist forces will be redeployed outside the country.
The only American military presence there after September 11 will be dedicated to the protection of the diplomats of the United States, explained the official who detailed the position of the president to the press.
"We have achieved the objectives we set for ourselves"
NATO, for its part, is preparing to follow the same path as the United States.
"We have always said: we go together
(with the Americans)
, we go out together," German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said on German public broadcaster ARD before a meeting of Defense and Business ministers foreigners of NATO members.
The Alliance must decide during this videoconference of ministers whether the conditions are met to put an end to its “Resolute Support” mission in Afghanistan or if this military presence of 9,600 soldiers from 36 countries must be maintained.
The United Kingdom, also a member of NATO, will also withdraw almost all of its troops, according to the Times.
Any modification of the British presence in Afghanistan will be done "in agreement with the allies and after consultation with our partners," a government spokesperson told AFP, without confirming or denying.
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In Brussels (Belgium), at NATO headquarters, "the foreign ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany as well as a French representative will meet" this Wednesday afternoon and "on The main topic of the discussions will be Afghanistan, ”the German government said.
“We achieved the goals we set for ourselves.
And now it's time to bring our strength home.
President Biden will speak about it in a few hours in the United States.
And I am here to work closely with our allies, ”said American Blinken.