NATO Secretary General urges Taliban to reduce "unacceptable levels of violence"

BRUSSELS: Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, held a meeting with key personnel from the Western military alliance on Friday, with the Afghan Peace Process a key item on their agenda.

On Afghanistan, Stoltenberg urged the Taliban to reduce "unacceptable levels of violence", and to sever their ties with violent extremist factions. The Afghan peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul-led government have been extremely tumultuous due to the incidence of violence between the warring groups, with either side unwilling to take the onus of the blame - which as a result led to a hampered and plodding pace of negotiations.

However, Stoltenberg raised concerns over the Trump Administration's strategy to cut the American troop contingent drastically by early next year (down to nearly 2500 troops), despite the fact that it could have an immeasurable impact on the peace negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents. The original understanding between the relevant stakeholders was that the United States would not withdraw unilaterally from the country, until a tangible deal was negotiated and the conditional agreements were met.

Stoltenberg stated that "the negotiations in Doha are fragile, but they are the best chance for peace in a generation. And all Afghans should seize this historic opportunity," cautioning that "the next months are decisive for Afghanistan". He added that "NATO backs the peace process" and that "we decided to go into Afghanistan together; we will make decisions about future adjustments together; and we will leave together, when the time is right".