America has abandoned its duty to democracy in Afghanistan and left the country to civil war, says former US commander there General Petraeus
- General David Petraeus said America has abandoned its duty in Afghanistan
- Former commander said it has been left to face a ‘bloody, brutal and civil war’
- America will completely vacate Afghanistan by the end of this month
A former US commander has said America is leaving Afghanistan to face a ‘bloody, brutal civil war’.
General David Petraeus, 68, said that America has abandoned its duty to protect democracy and civil rights in the country.
America will completely vacate Afghanistan by the end of this month and western commanders are voicing concerns of a Taliban takeover.
General David Petraeus (pictured), 68, said that America has abandoned its duty to protect democracy and civil rights in the country
General Petraeus told The Times: ‘The rest of the world will see that we are not supporting democracy or maintaining the values that we promote around the world — human rights, particularly women’s rights, the right to education and freedom of speech and press — all very imperfect in Afghanistan, but vastly better than if the Taliban reinstates a medieval Islamist regime.
‘The worst-case scenario is we could see a bloody, brutal civil war similar to that of the 1990s when the Taliban prevailed.’
He added that there would likely be a return of an al-Qaeda sanctuary if that were to happen, causing millions of refugees to flood in Pakistan and other neighbouring countries and a reduction in freedoms for citizens, particularly women.
General Petraeus, who spent 37 years in the US army, said he is ‘a little bit unclear’ why they didn’t maintain 3,500 troops to prevent Taliban sieges, noting that up to 2,500 US troops are remaining in Iran in a non-combat role to help Iraqi security forces keep an eye on ‘insurgent and terrorist cell remnants’.
America will completely vacate Afghanistan by the end of this month and western commanders are voicing concerns of a Taliban takeover
Kandahar and Herat are currently under siege by the Taliban and tens of thousands of Afghans are fleeing.
General Petraeus’s comments come after the Taliban stepped up a nationwide offensive and targeted three major cities and a key airport as the Afghan government struggle to fight back.
Fighting surged across the country since early May when US-led foreign forces began to withdraw.
Hundreds of commandos have now been deployed to the western city of Herat while authorities in the southern city of Kashkar Gah called for more troops to rein in the assaults.
General Petraeus added that there would likely be a return of an al-Qaeda sanctuary if that were to happen, causing millions of refugees to flood in Pakistan and other neighbouring countries and a reduction in freedoms for citizens, particularly women (Pictured: Afghan security personnel and Afghan militia fighting against Taliban)
Rockets struck the airport in Kandahar before dawn on Sunday and flights out of Afghanistan’s second-largest city and the former stronghold for the insurgents were halted.
Airport chief Massoud Pashtun said two rockets had hit the runway and repairs were underway.
The facility is vital to maintaining the logistics and air support needed to keep the Taliban from overrunning the city, while also providing aerial cover for large tracts of southern Afghanistan.
The attack came as the Taliban inched closer to overwhelming at least two other provincial capitals, including nearby Lashkar Gah in Helmand province.
Kandahar and Herat are currently under siege by the Taliban and tens of thousands of Afghans are fleeing (Pictured: Afghan security personnel and Afghan militia fighting against Taliban
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