No NATO Decision On Afghanistan Withdrawal: Stolenberg

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that no decision has yet been made on the potential future presence of NATO troops in Afghanistan as the May 1 deadline approaches.

• Stoltenberg's comments come following day two of a NATO defence ministers' meeting.
• The May 1 withdrawal date was established in a peace deal between the Taliban and the Trump administration last year, but there are concerns that such a rapid withdrawal could leave Afghan security forces shorthanded in maintaining stability.
• Says "We believe there's still time to reach a political agreement" and "We will continue to assess the situation before we make any final decision about our future presence," on withdrawal.
• At the same meeting Stoltenberg announced that agreement had been reached on increasing NATO's presence in training Iraqi forces from 500 to 4,000 service personnel to deal with a 'concerning' increase in Islamic State activity in the country.
• NATO can expect an easier ride under US President Joe Biden than his predecessor. While Biden is still keen to see member states honour their 2% of GDP on defence commitment, he is much more supportive of the organisation as a whole than Trump.