Dutch to Leave Afghanistan
One day after the Dutch Cabinet collapsed, the country's prime minister has announced that he expects the Netherlands to pull out all its troops from Afghanistan in August.
One day after the Dutch Cabinet collapsed, the country’s prime minister has announced that he expects the Netherlands to pull out all its troops from Afghanistan in August. The Dutch parliament had voted for the August pullout last October.
One Afghan official told the BBC that a withdrawal would leave a “big vacuum” in training, construction and security operations that the Dutch are involved in. –JCL
Rock Solid JournalismThe BBC:
A day after his cabinet collapsed, the Dutch prime minister says he expects Dutch troops to end their mission in Afghanistan in August as expected.
“If nothing else will take its place, then it ends,” Jan Peter Balkenende told Dutch television.
The cabinet fell after the two largest parties failed to agree on a Nato request to extend the tour of the almost 2,000-strong Dutch contingent.
A Nato spokesman said it would provide support to Afghans whatever happened.
In 2026, amid chaos and the nonstop flurry of headlines, Truthdig remains independent, fact-based and focused on exposing what power tries to hide.
Support Independent Journalism.
Opinion
You don’t have to learn any lessons you don’t want to.
Film
Shahrbanoo Sadat’s Afghan rom-com “No Good Men” balances fiction and reality with incredible deftness.
TD Original
By forging creative and invisible networks that allow them to survive, they are finding a way to be free despite the Taliban bans.
Middle East
While the Taliban have of course objected to handing over the former U.S. base, Russia and China will also have something to say.
Global Voices
Pakistan and Iran are deporting Afghans back to poverty, repression and uncertainty in one of the decade’s largest forced migrations.
Immigration
An Afghan national faces an increasingly opaque path toward the protection he was promised. His situation is chilling but not unique.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.