总统上任不到一天乔·拜登宣布他的退出的决定所有美国军队来自阿富汗美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯首次访问该国推动重新点燃外交努力为了达成交易塔利班和阿富汗政府。
布林肯星期四抵达喀布尔，在担心政府的情况下会见了阿富汗总统阿什拉夫·加尼和其他高级官员面临迫在眉睫的进攻这个激进组织试图在阿富汗建立一个伊斯兰酋长国。
加尼和拜登周三在拜登讲话前发表讲话，他在讲话中告诉美国公众，“是时候结束美国最长的战争了。”
共和国总统拜登:“十年前，我们为本拉登伸张了正义——从那以后，我们在阿富汗呆了十年。”"从那以后，我们留在阿富汗的理由变得越来越不清楚了."https://t.co/L3VQVu2zsfpic.twitter.com/G0y13LEd1m
——美国广播公司新闻政治(@美国广播公司政治)2021年4月14日
但是尽管2500名美国士兵和7000名北约士兵部队将撤离9月11日之前阿富汗战争不会结束。塔利班和阿富汗国家代表团自去年9月以来一直在进行谈判，但仍处于僵局。
布林肯在与加尼的一次拍照中说:“我想通过我的访问展示美国对伊斯兰共和国和阿富汗人民的持续承诺。”。“伙伴关系正在改变，但这种伙伴关系是持久的。”
针对拜登的退出，加尼简短地说，“我们尊重这一决定，并正在调整我们的优先事项。”
Blinken在会见阿富汗谈判小组负责人阿卜杜拉·阿卜杜拉时说，这是“我们正在共同书写的新篇章的开始，我非常渴望尽快开始我们在书写这一篇章方面的重要工作，并展示美国对阿富汗的持续支持。”
他说，虽然这位美国最高外交官承认这是一个“过渡时期，任何过渡都伴随着不确定性，伴随着担忧”，但阿富汗领导人在会晤中表示，“尊重总统的决定，对我们多年的伙伴关系深表赞赏，但也对下一章的承诺和乐观。”
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然而，对喀布尔的许多人来说，下一章看起来很糟糕。塔利班本周表示，在所有美国和北约部队撤出之前，他们不会参加和平谈判。
布林肯(Blinken)上月向双方提交了一份8页的提案，试图为这一外交进程注入一些紧迫感，该提案呼吁建立一个临时的权力分享政府，未来的选举，保护妇女和少数民族的权利，以及一个伊斯兰委员会来审查阿富汗法律。
该提议旨在敦促双方提出在土耳其举行和平会议的想法。和平会议原定于4月16日举行，后来推迟到4月24日，现在还不确定，因为塔利班星期二说，在所有美国和北约部队撤出之前，它不会参加。
共和国总统拜登:“塔利班应该知道，如果他们在我们撤退的时候攻击我们，我们会用我们掌握的所有工具来保卫自己和我们的伙伴。”https://t.co/L3VQVu2zsfpic.twitter.com/kbTrgk0x8u
——美国广播公司新闻政治(@美国广播公司政治)2021年4月14日
这些部队将很快开始撤离，但将错过前总统唐纳德·特朗普政府与该激进组织签署的一项协议中规定的5月1日最后期限。该协议规定，如果塔利班履行承诺，与阿富汗政府进行有意义的谈判，包括永久停火，并防止恐怖组织利用阿富汗领土发动袭击，美国将全面撤军。美国官员承认，塔利班没有履行这些承诺。
布林肯的提议激怒了阿富汗官员，他们长期以来一直对美国的和平努力表示失望，首先是特朗普政府决定推进排除政府的美国-塔利班谈判。
加尼拒绝了布林肯提出的权力分享政府，称他是阿富汗民选领导人，而不是塔利班。但这种情况可能会改变，因为向阿富汗安全部队提供培训和援助的美国军队正在撤离，把加尼政府留给了塔利班。
许多分析人士说，一旦美国军队撤离，塔利班将采取行动以武力夺回权力，这可能引发全面内战。
布林肯周三承认这是一种“现实的”可能性，但他认为“让阿富汗陷入长期战争不符合任何人的利益，包括塔利班。”
“最终，阿富汗人民将决定他们的未来。我们将尽我们所能支持为一个和平、稳定、公正的未来所做的努力，但他们必须做出决定，”他补充说。
Blinken visits Afghanistan after Biden's withdrawal decision to press for diplomacy
Less than a day after PresidentJoe Bidenannounced hisdecision to withdrawall U.S. forces fromAfghanistan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his first visit to the country as hepushes to reignite diplomatic effortsfor a deal between theTalibanand the Afghan government.
Arriving in Kabul Thursday, Blinken met President Ashraf Ghani and other senior officials amid fears the governmentfaces an imminent offensiveby the militant group that has sought to establish an Islamic emirate in Afghanistan.
Ghani and Biden spoke Wednesday just before Biden's speech, where he told the U.S. public, "It is time to end America's longest war."
Pres. Biden: "We delivered justice to bin Laden a decade ago—and we've stayed in Afghanistan for a decade since.""Since then, our reasons for remaining in Afghanistan have become increasingly unclear."https://t.co/L3VQVu2zsfpic.twitter.com/G0y13LEd1m
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics)April 14, 2021
But while 2,500 U.S. troops and 7,000 NATOforces will departbefore Sept. 11, thewar in Afghanistanwill not end. The Taliban and an Afghan national delegation have been engaged in negotiations since last September, but remain at a deadlock.
"I wanted to demonstrate with my visit the ongoing commitment of the United States to the Islamic Republic and the people of Afghanistan," Blinken said during a photo op with Ghani. "The partnership is changing, but the partnership is enduring."
Responding to Biden's withdrawal, Ghani said shortly, "We respect the decision and are adjusting our priorities."
Meeting with Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Afghan negotiating team, Blinken added said it is the start of "a new chapter that we're writing together, and I was very eager to come as quickly as possible also to begin the important work we have in writing that chapter and demonstrating as well the ongoing support the United States has for Afghanistan."
While the top U.S. diplomat acknowledge it's a "time of transition, and with any transition comes uncertainty, comes concern," he said in their meetings, Afghan leaders expressed "respect for the president's decision, profound appreciation for our years of partnership, but also commitment to and optimism about the next chapter."
That next chapter, however, looks grim to many in Kabul. The Taliban said this week they won't participate in peace negotiations until all U.S. and NATO forces exit.
Blinken tried to inject some urgency into that diplomatic process last month by submitting an eight-page proposal to both sides, calling for an interim, power-sharing government, future elections, protection for women's and minorities' rights, and an Islamic council to review Afghan laws.
The proposal was meant to urge both sides to bring ideas to the table for a peace conference in Turkey -- originally scheduled for April 16, then delayed until April 24 and now uncertain after the Taliban said Tuesday it would not participate until all U.S. and NATO forces exit.
Pres. Biden: "The Taliban should know if they attack us while we draw down, we will defend ourselves and our partners with all the tools at our disposal."https://t.co/L3VQVu2zsfpic.twitter.com/kbTrgk0x8u
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics)April 14, 2021
Those forces will begin departing shortly, but will miss a May 1 deadline laid out in a deal former President Donald Trump's administration signed with the militant group. It stipulated a full U.S. withdrawal, provided the Taliban met their commitments to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government, including on a permanent ceasefire and prevented terror groups from using Afghan soil to launch attacks -- steps that U.S. officials have admitted the Taliban has not met.
Blinken's proposal infuriated Afghan officials, who have long expressed frustration with the U.S. peace efforts -- starting with the Trump administration's decision to move ahead with U.S.-Taliban talks that excluded the government.
Ghani has rejected Blinken's proposed power-sharing government, saying he is the democratically elected leader of Afghanistan, not the Taliban. But that may change now that U.S. troops, who have provided training and assistance to Afghan security forces, are exiting, leaving Ghani's government to the Taliban.
Many analysts say that once U.S. forces leave, the Taliban will move to retake power by force, potentially sparking an all-out civil war.
Blinken admitted that was a "realistic" possibility Wednesday, but argued it is in "no one's interests, including the Taliban, to plunge Afghanistan back into a long war."
"Ultimately, the people of Afghanistan will be the ones to decide their future. We will do whatever we can to support efforts for a peaceful, stable, just future, but they're the ones who have to decide it," he added.
