NATO will leave Afghanistan when ‘time is right’: Stoltenberg

The Taliban must do more to meet the terms of a 2020 peace deal with the US before withdrawal, says NATO chief.

NATO will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan “before the time is right”, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said, adding that the Taliban must do more to meet the terms of a 2020 peace agreement with the United States first. Stoltenberg’s remarks came on Monday, days before the defence ministers of the 30 NATO member states discuss the deployment on Wednesday and Thursday. The meeting is their highest-level talks since US President Joe Biden took office promising to work closely with allies after four years of tensions under Donald Trump.