Lake at Kajaki in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Matters / Gareth of England

Frequently Asked Questions

FCNL has provided our responses to commonly raised questions regarding military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Two men in field.
Rumi Consultancy / World Bank

Oppose Militarized Counterterrorism in Afghanistan

The idea that it is necessary to maintain residual forces in Afghanistan to conduct counterterrorism operations is based on the flawed premise that “terrorism” must be fought and can be defeated militarily.

Teacher in front of class of children.
UN / Eskinder Debebe

Support Long-term Afghan-led Solutions

Afghanistan still depends upon foreign assistance for its survival. Even Taliban leadership has acknowledged that Afghanistan will require international development aid moving forward.

Interestingly, it was not the withdrawal of Soviet troops but the cessation of Soviet aid that led to the dissolution of then-President Mohammed Najibullah’s regime.1

Two men shaking hands.
U.S. Air Force / Senior Airman Rylan K. Albright

Ramp Up Bilateral and Multilateral Diplomatic Efforts

Before the most recent talks, the United States had other key opportunities across its nearly twenty-year war in Afghanistan to facilitate a negotiated settlement but squandered each of them, prolonging the violence and losing more leverage along the way.