“Unfortunately we have to realise that the 300,000 Afghan troops, which were trained by the international community over the past few years, were incapable of completing their mission and resisting the Taliban forces. There were some disloyal soldiers among them, and it seems the 75,000 Taliban fighters were differently motivated.”
The Taliban were in control of Afghanistan on Monday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and conceded the insurgents had won the 20-year war. Thousands of people were on Monday trying to escape Kabul, and countries around the world have sent troops to evacuate diplomatic officials and foreigners.
Read also: Taliban in control of Afghanistan, panic in Kabul
The Luxembourgish Minister further addressed the course of action taken by the United States: “Four presidents were involved in the Afghanistan mission, two Democrats and two Republicans. It is understandable that 20 years after 9/11, they want to get out.”
Minister Asselborn further noted that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken explained to European representatives that if they want US troops to stay on the ground, the Union would have to provide half of the necessary forces: “I immediately saw on the faces of my European counterparts that this would not be implemented.”
The LSAP politician concluded that it was still the right decision to launch the Afghanistan mission 20 years ago. However, despite the mediation of European values having failed, he admitted: “It is now important to keep our feet on the ground and monitor whether the Taliban respect the international rule of law.”
This week, EU foreign ministers are set to convene and discuss the issue.
