No big deal!

After the Americans caught everyone by surprise with its announcement to withdraw nearly half of its troops from Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani’s government downplayed the significance of the move on Friday by saying that Washington’s plans would have no impact on the security situation in the country.

Reports of the sudden departure of 7,000 troops came a day after US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of American forces from Syria; and follows closely on the heels of talks between the Taliban’s representatives and US diplomats in the UAE for solutions to end the Afghan conflict. The move coincided with reports that US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis had tendered his resignation.

However, it was not clear if he took the decision based on Trump’s order to pull out troops from Syria and Afghanistan. The Taliban welcomed news of the US plan while the Afghan generals warned Friday it would be a blow to the morale of the country’s beleaguered security forces, who come under daily attacks from the insurgent fighters. The announcement seems certain to complicate efforts to reach a peace deal, mostly because it gives the Taliban leverage by allowing them to hold off until a total US withdrawal, or step up their demands over a weakened Afghan government.