The request to start a planning of the withdrawal of the Italian contingent from Afghanistan advanced by the Minister of Defence, Elisabetta Trenta, was shared with the Prime Minister. This is what government sources specified after the decision on Monday that would involve over 900 soldiers stationed in Herat and Kabul took more than one member of the Executive by surprise, starting with the Foreign Minister, Enzo Moavero Milanesi"I know nothing about it – said the number one of the Farnesina – Thirty didn't tell me about itWe'll talk about it as soon as I hear it."
On Monday, a source from the Ministry of Defense announced that Trenta "has given instructions to the IOC (the Joint Operational Command) to evaluate the start of planning for the withdrawal of the Italian contingent in Afghanistan" and that "the time horizon could be 12 months".
The announcement split the government, with the Five Stars pleased and the Northern League members displaced to say the least, who speak of "the personal assessment of the competent minister still to be discussed".
He would weigh on this decision the will of the US president, Donald Trump, to halve the presence of American troops in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the New York Times made it known that it would be reached an agreement in Afghanistan between the Taliban and the United States after weeks of secret talks in Qatar. An open dialogue with the aim of preventing the country from becoming a refuge and base for terrorists such as those of Isis or Al Qaeda.
The American envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, confirms the "draft agreement": the Taliban undertake to expel terrorist groups from the country in exchange for the withdrawal of foreign troops. But the Afghan president holds back: "We need serious talks between us and the Taliban"
The NATO secretary general was also cautious: “We will not allow Afghanistan to return to terrorist hands, "Said Jens Stoltenberg, adding that "it is premature to talk about troop withdrawals".
Italians have been in Afghanistan for 17 years. A costly commitment so far 54 dead, 650 injured and an expense that overall exceeded i 6,5 billion euros.
For the NATO mission in Afghanistan, Parliament authorized, for the first 9 months of 2019, a maximum use of 900 soldiers, 148 land vehicles and 8 air vehicles, mostly located in Herat at the Taac-W. The decision to start planning to withdraw the entire Italian military contingent in Afghanistan was discussed with both the American allies, NATO and the Afghan authorities.
