On May 1, the United States and NATO began the completion of a full pullout of troops from Afghanistan. American forces are expected to leave by September 11, the 20th anniversary of terrorist attacks against the United States that sparked a so-called War on Terror by then-US President George W. Bush.
"At the summit, President of the Republic Milos Zeman criticized the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan. He recalled that Czech soldiers had laid down their lives in the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan. He also warned that the Taliban, after taking over the entire country, could turn Afghanistan into a new center of terrorism," Jiri Ovcacek tweeted.
Armed violence continues in Afghanistan despite Kabul-Taliban peace talks and the start of the withdrawal of foreign troops. The negotiations and the troop pullout are a part of the 2020 US-Taliban peace deal signed in 2020, which also committed the radical movement to reducing violence and cutting ties with known terrorists.