David H. Petraeus Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Ryan Crocker, former US ambassador to Afghanistan have warned against any hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Speaking at a virtual conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Petraeus, said that “withdrawal of all US forces by the end of April could potentially be disastrous.”

He also warned of a civil war if the US withdraws without complete assessment of the situation on the ground.

“It is pretty clear that the Taliban not only have shown no willingness to cut their ties with Al-Qaeda, they have also shown no wiliness to reduce the level of violence to which they were committed in the agreement that they signed with the United States. Beyond that, I see no prospect for an adequate durable negotiated settlement. The truth is I think the Taliban have engaged in negotiations with two big objectives, withdrawal of all US forces and to get their detainees out of Afghan detention facilities, “the former US general further added.

In the same discussion, Rayan Crocker, expressed doubt over the outcome of the peace talks and urged the new US administration not to rush when it comes to troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“At this particular juncture, we are now at risk of damaging critically our own national security by precipitated withdrawal. They are not peace talks; they are surrender talks. By initiating them with the Taliban without the Afghan government role, we did de-legitimize that government more than the Taliban ever could,” he added.

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