Biden: Will revoke Afghanistan’s “ally” status

International Business News  –  According to a CNN report on the 6th, U.S. President Biden said in a letter to Congress that he would formally revoke Afghanistan’s status as a “non-NATO major ally” of the United States.

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Biden wrote: “Under Section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, I submit a notice to deprive Afghanistan of its status as a major non-NATO ally of the United States.”

The report said that the United States had previously designated Afghanistan as a “non-NATO main ally” in 2012, which cleared the way for the two countries to maintain military and economic relations.

According to CNN, there is a mutual defense treaty between the United States and NATO allies, while there is no mutual defense guarantee between the United States and non-NATO allies. The so-called “non-NATO major allies” are eligible to receive supplies and loans from the United States and allow the United States to set up war reserve warehouses within their borders. In addition, private companies from designated countries can bid for contracts to maintain and repair U.S. military equipment overseas. Being an ally of the United States once made the former Afghan government eligible for military training and assistance from the United States, which included expedited sales or leases of military equipment even after NATO troops left.

The U.S. State Department said that after revoking Afghanistan’s “non-NATO major ally” status, the United States still has 18 “non-NATO major allies”, namely Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Thailand and Tunisia. Earlier this year, the United States added Colombia and Qatar to its list of “non-NATO allies.”

In August last year, Biden ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, ending the nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the country quickly returned to a state where the Afghan Taliban took power.