Iran urges pullout of US-led forces from Afghanistan

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has reiterated the need for a speedy withdrawal of all US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan and the transfer of security duties to the government in Kabul.

The Iranian president made the remarks in a Thursday meeting with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul.

As of late February there were reportedly just over 50,000 NATO troops serving in Afghanistan from 49 contributing nations. Of these the bulk – about 34,000 – are US troops.

Rouhani was in Afghanistan to participate in the 5th International Nowruz Festival, marking the Persian New Year, which also falls on the first day of spring. The event was attended by the leaders of a number of regional countries. Iran hosted the first and second festivals, and Turkmenistan and Tajikistan organized the third and fourth ones respectively.

Also referring to the adoption of the WAVE (World Against Violence and Extremism) resolution at the UN General Assembly, Rouhani described the issue of security and a serious fight against extremism and terrorism as significant, noting that, “Extremism, violence and terrorism are the biggest problems for the regional nations.”

He went on to underline the necessity for close collaboration, joint projects and exchange of intelligence among regional governments to seriously fight the scourge of extremism.

On December 18, 2013, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to approve the Iranian president’s WAVE proposal, which calls on all countries across the globe to denounce violence and extremism.

Stressing the need for a rapid advancement of Persian-speaking countries in the region toward welfare, development and progress, Rouhani also called for the expansion of bilateral trade and economic collaborations among such states, especially between Iran and Afghanistan.

The Iranian president returned to the Iranian capital of Tehran on Thursday after his one-day visit to Afghanistan.