Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Report to Congress: US Should Delay Complete Troop Pullout in Afghanistan

Reuters

   WASHINGTON - The United States should extend the May 1 deadline for
   pulling all its troops from Afghanistan and make force cuts contingent
   on progress in peace talks and by the Taliban in reducing violence and
   containing al-Qaida, a bipartisan report to Congress said Wednesday.

   Washington should not abandon the Afghan peace process, the report
   said. But conditions for its success will not be met by a May 1
   deadline set in a 2020 U.S.-Taliban agreement. Withdrawing all U.S.
   troops then could lead to civil war, destabilizing the region and
   reviving the al-Qaida threat, it said.

   The United States "should not ... simply hand a victory to the
   Taliban," said the Afghanistan Study Group report, reflecting criticism
   that the Trump administration conceded too much to the insurgents in a
   bid to end America's longest war.

   Congress commissioned the group, whose co-chairs included retired
   Marine General Joseph Dunford, a former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman,
   and former Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte.

   Dunford told reporters the report was shared with aides to President
   Joe Biden, including Zalmay Khalilzad, the peace negotiator kept on
   from the Trump administration, who "found it helpful."

   State Department spokesman Ned Price said the Biden administration
   "plans to support" the peace process, and he noted that it was
   assessing the Taliban's commitment to cutting ties to al-Qaida,
   lowering violence and engaging in peace talks.

.