Afghanistan distrust of US endangers possibility of nearby staging area
American diplomats face an uphill battle to secure support for a staging area in Central Asia
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}American diplomats face an uphill battle to secure support for a staging area in Central Asia as neighboring nations voice concern over U.S. involvement in the region.
The U.S. found strong support when it first entered the region following the attack on 9/11. Central Asian countries offered territory for U.S. bases, troops and other access as the U.S. staged a sustained campaign against Al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
Two decades in the region has seemingly done little to strengthen those ties: Trust of the U.S. as a long-term partner has floundered after an only partly successful war in Afghanistan and fluctuating engagement, former American diplomats said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Supporters of the Taliban carry the Taliban's signature white flags in the Afghan-Pakistan border town of Chaman, Pakistan, Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The Taliban is pressing on with its surge in Afghanistan, saying Wednesday that it seized Spin Boldaka, a strategic border crossing with Pakistan, the latest in a series of key border post to come under its control in recent weeks. (AP Photo/Tariq Achkzai)
"I mean, I personally can see the value of an American base in Central Asia, but I’m not sure the Central Asian states see such value," said John Herbst, who helped secure military access as U.S. ambassador to Uzbekistan in 2001. "We’ve taken a hit through our failures in Afghanistan."
"Is that a mortal hit? Probably not," he added. "But it’s still a very powerful factor."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, a former U.S. Agency for International Development official, said the U.S. timeline of disengagement has made the nation seem "sort of aimless."
"The U.S. hasn’t had a very strong strategy, or a strong presence, in Central Asia for a long time," Murtazashvili said.
JOHN HANNAH: WE ARE WITNESSING THE ‘FULL-ON COLLAPSE’ OF AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former President Trump initiated a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, originally aiming to have all troops out by May 2021. President Biden delayed the deadline but maintained the process, aiming to finish a full withdrawal by Sept. 11, 2021 – a full two decades after the attack that kickstarted U.S. engagement in the region.
The decision has drawn bipartisan criticism, with proponents saying the withdrawal will only increase the problems within the country. Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai claimed that extremism is at its "highest point" ahead of the planned drawdown of U.S. forces from his country and that the U.S. had failed to live up to its promises.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Government forces have already withdrawn from seven districts, focusing troops and resources around holding the capital province of Badakhshan. A deal the U.S. struck with the Taliban in February 2020 included a promise from the insurgent movement not to attack U.S. and NATO troops, a commitment it appears they have largely kept.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Wednesday that the Central Asian nations "will make sovereign decisions about their level of the cooperation with the United States" after the Afghanistan withdrawal.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It’s not only in our interests and, in fact, it is much more and certainly in the immediate interests of Afghanistan’s neighbors" that Afghanistan be stable and secure, Price said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.