Afghanistan troop withdrawal has begun, says senior NATO official
A NATO flag flies at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels.
NATO has begun withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, reported AFP quoting a senior official of the alliance.
"NATO Allies decided in mid-April to start the withdrawal of Resolute Support Mission forces by May 1 and this withdrawal has begun. This will be an orderly, coordinated, and deliberate process," a NATO official told AFP.
The United States and the allied forces are in the process of withdrawing their forces from Afghanistan. Though the US had said initially that troop withdrawal will take place on May 1, US President Joe Biden has previously said that keeping the date would be difficult.
The US had been engaged with Taliban, widely perceived to gain control of the country in peace talks. However, Taliban attacks and the assassination of prominent Afghan figures have raised alarm everywhere.
Members of the US-backed alliance NATO agreed this month to wrap up their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after Biden made the call to end Washington's longest war.
The decision -- which delayed by several months a deadline agreed by former US leader Donald Trump -- came despite fears it could allow the Taliban to regain power in the country.
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The NATO official said the safety of the alliance's troops "will be a top priority every step of the way, and we are taking all necessary measures to keep our personnel from harm".
"Any Taliban attacks during the withdrawal will be met with a forceful response. We plan to have our withdrawal completed within a few months," the official said, refusing to give any f
Biden said the US withdrawal would be completed by September 11, the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America that sparked its military involvement in Afghanistan.
Germany's defence ministry has said it plans to get its 1,300 troops out of the country by early July.
NATO's training and support mission, which includes some 2,500 US troops and relies heavily on Washington's military assets, has personnel from 36 alliance member nations and partner countries.
The US has said it is temporarily deploying extra troops to protect international forces as they withdraw and has prolonged the presence of an aircraft carrier in the region to support the pull-out.
(With inputs from agencies)