Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, on Saturday warned that a premature withdrawal of international troops will have consequences for the peace process, adding that the Taliban will also not benefit from the withdrawal of US troops.

Speaking in an interview to India’s ANI, Abdullah said: Our hope is that we make progress in the negotiations so there will be no need for international troops. Premature withdrawal, will it have an impact or not? Certainly. We are not oblivious to the realities on the ground, but it will not lead to one side prevailing over the other. It will have consequences, there is no doubt about it. But we’re not there.

Abdullah said that in the peace process with the Taliban, it is not a question of how the Islamic Emirate will return as it was in 2001, but Abdullah said that the Taliban should play a role in the future of this country with the other people of Afghanistan.

We are not talking about the Islamic Emirate that the Taliban had in the old days. We are talking about a situation where Taliban have a role to play together with the rest of the people of Afghanistan, or the people of Afghanistan together with the Taliban. While, having lots of differences of views, points of views, at the same time accepting one another and accepting that basic fact that there is no solution through war, said Abdullah in the interview.

Abdullah and his accompanying delegation returned to Kabul after a four-day visit to India on Saturday evening.

Abdullah’s comments follow US President Donald Trump’s tweets on Wednesday: We should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!

Hours after Trump’s announcement, his national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Washington would reduce its forces in Afghanistan to 2,500 by early next year.
Meanwhile, the Speaker and a number of members of the Senate do not consider the current situation favorable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.