"There is a lot of pressure on the Trump administration owing to their handling of the COVID-19 crisis in the US, and the increasing number of deaths. Trump wants to achieve a victory to play to the galleries, and divert the public’s attention. This latest push should be seen in the light of the upcoming November re-election," Kamran said.
According to the senator, it is highly unlikely, however, that Washington will withdraw troops due to the pandemic, despite Trump’s pressure on the Pentagon.
"Going by that logic, the US will have to pull out troops from places [like] Italy as well," she noted.
Kamran suggested that the US military establishment would find a way to deflect Trump’s demand to withdraw troops as the Pentagon could not ignore its security commitments concerning Afghanistan before Pakistan, China and other countries in the region.
"The world could not afford Afghanistan becoming a hotbed of instability, chaos and terrorism once again, if the US suddenly withdraws from Afghanistan," the lawmaker added.
The US has stated that it would withdraw troops from Afghanistan in the wake of its peace deal with the Taliban, concluded in late February. However, the withdrawal has been disrupted by the pandemic.
The US presidential election is set to be held in early November, and the campaign is currently underway.
