The US plans to keep its embassy in Afghanistan after it pulls troops out of the country, but the diplomatic mission could be closed if the US presence is not welcome by a future Afghan government, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday.
According to Defense One, CENTCOM chief Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters that the US’s diplomatic presence might not be welcome if a new power-sharing Afghan government includes the Taliban. “We won’t be there unless we’re, you know, we are invited to be there,” he told reporters.
McKenzie said it would be the responsibility of the Afghan government to protect the US embassy staff. “We do plan to have an embassy in Afghanistan. It will be at the invitation of the government of Afghanistan,” he said. “It will be first and most important their responsibility to protect that embassy, although we will always take whatever measures are necessary to protect our diplomats in any embassy anywhere in the world.”
In April, the US ordered a drawdown of its embassy staff in Kabul before the withdrawal began. President Biden broke the US-Taliban peace deal by pushing back the original May 1st withdrawal deadline, which raised fears of Taliban attacks on the US. But so far, the Taliban has refrained from attacking US or other foreign forces, and the US appears to be on track to complete the withdrawal by mid-July, although keeping the embassy open could be an excuse to leave a few hundred troops behind.
McKenzie also said Monday that the withdrawal process from Afghanistan is about halfway done. He said the US is working with allies to maintain “over the horizon” capabilities in Afghanistan, which is Pentagon jargon for keeping the ability to bomb the country after the pullout. Both the US military and the CIA are looking to reposition assets in the region for that purpose.
Whether or not a new power-sharing government is formed, it’s not clear if Washington’s post-withdrawal plans will be acceptable to the Taliban. If the US continues to launch airstrikes in Afghanistan, the Taliban would see that as a clear violation of the Doha agreement, and it would make it less likely that the group would continue peace talks with the Afghan government. The Biden administration is also committing $3.3 billion to support the Afghan government for the 2022 fiscal year.
According to Defense One, CENTCOM chief Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters that the US’s diplomatic presence might not be welcome if a new power-sharing Afghan government includes the Taliban. “We won’t be there unless we’re, you know, we are invited to be there,” he told reporters.
Seriously, a general said that? Did his head explode?
McKenzie was making a threat.
McKenzie was making a (Hollow) threat. Shut the boobs up. Get rid of such clowns and send in realistic diplomats.
I wasn’t sure how to take it. But I could picture him winking when he finished saying it, or right after he said “you know”.
Oh, really?
What about Iraq?
If a country orders your military to leave and repeatedly bombs your embassy, perhaps you are not invited to be there.
Oh, Brother…!!!!! Is this what is meant to be passed off as diplomacy toward some semblance of stable relations with whom ever ends up on top in Afghanistan. I have bad feeling about where this is all heading. Does the U.S. really hope to micro-control governance & the balance of power on the ground there??? They should look back at the S. Vietnamese army’s record after the U.S. fled. To hope for any other outcome is beyond sanity. No one seems to realistically explore how NATO & U.S. war on Afghanistan was accomplished. They never attacked the U.S. or anyone else Hasn’t the entire enterprise been a fraud from day one? How is the U.S. & NATO not an aggressor? Was the whole just another attempt to contain China’s influence and widening circle of influence and common interests