WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2020) The United States is reducing aid to Afghanistan by $1 billion this year because of the failure of the country's president and other political leaders to agree on a new government in Kabul, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced in a statement.
"Because this leadership failure poses a direct threat to US national interests, effective immediately, the US government will initiate a review of the scope of our cooperation with Afghanistan. Among other steps, we are today announcing a responsible adjustment to our spending in Afghanistan and immediately reducing assistance by $1 billion this year," Pompeo said Monday.
The US government deeply regretted that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah had been unable to agree on an inclusive government to meet the challenges the country faced including its continued civil war with the Talban, Pompeo said.
The failure of the Kabul politicians to form a new government had harmed US-Afghan relations and had dishonored Afghan, US and Allied forces who had been killed in operations to establish and uphold the nation's government, Pompeo added.
