New Delhi (NVI): With US President Joe Biden announcing withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, China may send a peacekeeping force to the war-torn country, according to South China Morning Post.
Pertinent to mention here that Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that the US would withdraw about 2,500 remaining troops from the South Asian country by September 11, on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on twin towers in New York.
As per the report, the withdrawal of US troops may pose a threat to Afghanistan’s security and stability, “which could spill over into Xinjiang and disrupt China’s counterterrorism efforts.”
The withdrawal of troops by the US comes amid the ongoing peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
The South China Morning Post report further says that China trained Afghan troops in 2018 and helped set up a mountain brigade. “The training took place in China and the aim of the brigade was to counter possible attacks by al-Qaeda and Islamic State,” read the report.
“The security forces of the Afghan government are not capable of ensuring Afghan security,” Sun Qi, an international relations specialist at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying by the Chinese newspaper.
“The situation in Afghanistan might go further into chaos in the future. Cross-border crime, drug trafficking and smuggling of firearms may proliferate,” Sun Qi told this newspaper.
At the same time, Qi said that China would not station in troops in Afghanistan, like the US, but it might work with other countries in the region “to promote political stability and reduce the security risk to China.”
On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian had said that foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan should withdraw in a “responsible and orderly manner” to prevent terrorist forces from taking advantage of the chaos.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi on Friday said that any political settlement in the war-ravaged country must be inclusive and should preserve the socio-economic and political gains of the past 19 years.
-ARK
