News

Israel says US Afghan withdrawal right move, badly done

September 1, 2021 10:20 PM


Twitter Share Facebook Share WhatsApp Share

Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was "probably the right decision" but implemented in the wrong manner and its impact on regional security not yet clear.

"It didn't happen the way it was supposed to happen," Yair Lapid told foreign media during a briefing in Jerusalem.  

"It was probably the right decision maybe that wasn't performed in the right manner." 

Lapid, a centrist and the key player who forged Israel's eight-party coalition government that took power in June, responded to concern that the US Afghanistan pullout pointed to waning American interest in the wider region.

Some experts have warned that the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan last month could embolden other hardline Islamist groups, including Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip. 

Hamas, which has fought multiple conflicts with Israel since capturing the Palestinian enclave in 2007, congratulated the Taliban shortly after the group's capture of Kabul on August 15. 

Lapid said that "I don't think the United States is retreating from the Middle East.  

"I think we should wait a little before we (jump) to conclusions on what exactly is going to be the aftermath of this."  

Lapid argued it was not yet possible to "completely understand all the consequences of this move", citing the impact on Pakistan and "the long border (Shiite Muslim) Iran now has with a radical Sunni state run by a radical Sunni organisation".

The Taliban have celebrated the US withdrawal, which was completed on Monday, as a major victory after taking control of Afghanistan following a long and bloody insurgency that ended with the rapid collapse of government forces.

US President Joe Biden has staunchly defended his decision to end the two-decade war, launched in the wake of 9/11, as "the best decision for America," saying Tuesday that the country had faced two choices, "leaving or escalating".

 

 



Most Read

  1. 20 passengers perish in Chilas bus plunge 20 passengers perish in Chilas bus plunge
  2. Daughters defend Bushra Bibi Daughters defend Bushra Bibi
  3. Pakistani-origin woman laid off by Elon Musk gives emotional reaction Pakistani-origin woman laid off by Elon Musk gives emotional reaction
  4. Pakistan's historic moon mission aboard China rocket blasts off Pakistan's historic moon mission aboard China rocket blasts off
  5. The Great Indian Kapil Show: Astonishing per-episode fees of cast revealed! The Great Indian Kapil Show: Astonishing per-episode fees of cast revealed!
  6. And they lived happily ever after! Ishq Murshid's last episode sparks joy among fans And they lived happily ever after! Ishq Murshid's last episode sparks joy among fans

Opinion

  1. PM Shehbaz Sharif, WEF and Pakistan
    PM Shehbaz Sharif, WEF and Pakistan

    By Naveed Aman Khan

  2. Employing global best practices in Pakistan-Saudi ties
    Employing global best practices in Pakistan-Saudi ties

    By Nasim Zehra

  3. PML-N smashed PTI in by-polls
    PML-N smashed PTI in by-polls

    By News Desk

  4. Riding the Digital Wave: How Technology is Rewriting the Script of Economic Prosperity
    Riding the Digital Wave: How Technology is Rewriting the Script of Economic Prosperity

    By News Desk

  5. Tax on solar energy: Govt's misplaced priorities favour powerful stakeholders over people welfare  
    Tax on solar energy: Govt's misplaced priorities favour powerful stakeholders over people welfare  

    By Manzoor Qadir

  6. Legacy of Indian military subjugation in Kashmir
    Legacy of Indian military subjugation in Kashmir

    By Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai