[PJ] With the U.S. military pulling back and pulling out in Afghanistan, it’s left to a few dozen civilian diplomats to try to implement Joe Biden’s policies in the midst of a pandemic and armed conflict between the Taliban and less radical factions.
Biden has pledged not to abandon Afghanistan despite increasing signs that the U.S. has very little say in the matter. And without a military contingent backing them up and protecting them, diplomats are exposed and vulnerable.
"In the absence of a military complement in Kabul, the task of the U.S. Embassy is made infinitely more complex, dangerous and difficult," Hugo Llorens, who served as the top U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan under presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, told The Washington Post.
Biden sees the primary mission of the United States in Afghanistan to broker some kind of deal between the Taliban and remaining government forces that will safeguard what’s left of the peace deal and, above all, protect the hard won gains of women who are threatened with a return to the stone age by Taliban victories. |