Commentary: Hasty U.S. withdrawal to create security black hole in Afghanistan

Photo taken on May 4, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

At the moment, a sudden U.S. withdrawal would only exacerbate the country's ongoing security crisis, as it would be a chance for terrorist groups and various political forces to fill the vacuum and stoke more unrest.

KABUL, May 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to bring home all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, as an attempt to irresponsibly pull the United States out of the quagmire of war, will create a security black hole and aggravate the already heavy scourge suffered by the country.

The abrupt announcement by the United States of a complete troop exit has deteriorated the security situation in the conflict-battered country, causing mounting militant attacks and ensuing civilian casualties.

Since the start of the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces on May 1, the Taliban militants have stepped up activities. Moreover last week, three consecutive explosions outside a secondary school for girls in western Kabul killed at least 50 people and injured over 100 others.

It was during the Cold War that the U.S. helped sow the seeds of unrest in the country by funding and arming militants to fight the then Soviet Union. Over the following decades, Afghanistan has developed a malignant tumor of terrorism, and gradually descended into a hotbed of international terrorism and extremism.

An Afghan man works inside a mosque in Qala-e-Murad Baig area of Shakar Dara district of Kabul province, Afghanistan, May 14, 2021.(Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)

After the U.S.-led War on Terror in 2001, Afghanistan has experienced a rise in terrorist acts instead of a decline.

It is a fact that U.S. military actions have caused heavy civilian casualties since then, yet brutal fighting and bloody attacks continue.

At the moment, a sudden U.S. withdrawal would only exacerbate the country's ongoing security crisis, as it would be a chance for terrorist groups and various political forces to fill the vacuum and stoke more unrest.

A hasty departure of U.S. troops would also swiftly change the existing balance of power between the Afghan government forces and other armed factions, increasing the risk of violent confrontations.

Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan is "a major mistake" with significant risks, according to a recent article published by U.S. think tank the Brookings Institution.

It pointed out that the most likely outcome of any quick troop exit this year is "very ugly, including ethnic cleansing, mass slaughter, and the ultimate dismemberment of the country."

In retrospect, the current tumult facing Afghanistan is yet another chill reminder of the consequence of overuse of U.S. military power. No wonder the past two decades of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan has been described by many global observers as a failure.