Trump announces measures to pull out 7,000 troops from the country President Ghani’s government says move will not impact security situation KABUL: After the US caught everyone by surprise with its announcement to withdraw nearly half of its troops from Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani’s government downplayed the significance of the move on Friday by saying that Washington’s plans would have no impact on the security situation in the country. Reports of the sudden departure of 7,000 troops came a day after US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of American forces from Syria; and follows closely on the heels of talks between the Taliban’s representatives and US diplomats in the UAE for solutions to end the Afghan conflict. The move coincided with reports that US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had tendered his resignation. However, it was not clear if he took the decision based on Trump’s order to pull out troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Additionally, there were no statements to verify whether the move which is expected to be implemented in a few weeks was due to the talks in Abu Dhabi which had taken place in the presence of officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Pakistan. President Ashraf Ghani’s government which could not take part in the two-day dialogue said — after more than 12 hours of silence – that the US’ plans to withdraw troops from the country would have no impact on the security situation in Afghanistan. “Troops pull out will not affect security situation in the country,” Harun Chakhansuri, Ghani’s spokesman, told reporters. “Most of the US troops which will possibly be withdrawn from Afghanistan – are engaged in training and advise mission for Afghan forces…who are capable of defending the country,” he said. Ghani’s chief adviser, Fazel Fazly, downplayed the impact of the move by tweeting that ever since the president had assumed office more than four years ago, the Afghan forces have fought on the frontline on their own. Recalling the drastic pullout in 2014 when tens of thousands of foreign and US-led troops had withdrawn from the country, he said concerns that the security situation would deteriorate proved to be wrong then and would be wrong this time, too. “The alarms raised about Afghanistan’s future in the media were more rampant in December 2014. Most analysts believed that Afghanistan would collapse with the departure of more than 1,00,000 troops. But our brave defense and security forces proved these analysts wrong and defended the nation with great valor,” he said. The Taliban have gained ground in recent years, partly due to a drawdown in 2014, but more importantly due to internal divisions within Ghani’s government. Additionally, the number of casualties among national forces, civilians, and the Taliban have soared with some US officials openly admitting that the war cannot be won with military might. Ordinary Americans, for their part, have questioned the need to spend money on and retain troops in Afghanistan for a war which began with US-led forces ousting the Taliban in late 2001. Trump himself has spoken against retaining the troops in Afghanistan on several occasions. However, he has been unpredictable in his stance. Last year, based on the advice of Pentagon’s generals, he opted to increase air offensives and send additional troops to Afghanistan to turn the tide. The plan seems to have backfired with the Taliban occupying more areas in the country. While Ghani’s embattled government rejects the impact of the withdrawal, several generals said that the government was not consulted or forewarned about Trump’s planned order. Some observers said that the pullout — combined with US talks with the Taliban which has led to most believing that Washington is after the formation of an interim government in Afghanistan — would impact the morale of the troops and further embolden the militant group. Michael Kugeleman, a regional analyst added that the decision would be used by the Taliban as a victory point. “Let’s be clear; Trump’s decision, if confirmed, amounts to a propaganda coup and a tactical triumph for the Taliban. It (Taliban) has gotten the troop withdrawal it has always wanted,” he said. Rahmatullah Nabil, a former Afghan spymaster, disagrees. He reasons that the proposed move would encourage the Taliban to take part in the peace process. “From my point of view, the exodus of roughly 7,000 American troops can persuade the Taliban to actively participate in the peace process,” he told Arab News, detailing the short-term and long-term impact on security forces. “In the short term, it will have an impact on Afghan security forces and promote the inclination of acquiring power through war, but it will not have an actual impact on the war itself,” he said. Several lawmakers, especially women, expressed concerns at the hasty move reasoning that it offers no assurance to Afghans about their future. “My fear is that God forbid, the security situation will deteriorate. Without American forces, Kabul and the entire country can collapse in one day,” Raihana Azad, an MP told Arab News. “This will also prove to Afghans that Americans are short-term friends, people will become more disappointed with America and our neighbors will use their influence and resources to consolidate their power here,” she added.