NATO defence ministers to discuss Afghanistan

NATO defence ministers attended the second day of an online summit on Wednesday, with the alliance discussing the future of its missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO will only leave Afghanistan when security conditions allow, as a deadline for withdrawing troops set out in a peace deal with the Taliban fast approaches.

The alliance has just under 10,000 troops in the war-ravaged country helping to train and advise the Afghan security forces.

Most of them are not US forces, but the allies could not continue the NATO operation if American transport, logistics and other support are withdrawn.

President Joe Biden is reviewing his predecessor's 2020 deal with the Taliban, which includes a May 1 deadline for a final US troop withdrawal.

In Washington, calls are mounting for the US to delay the final exit or renegotiate the deal to allow the presence of a smaller, intelligence-based American force.