The decision taken in Brussels last April on the end of the mission in Afghanistan “was certainly not easy”. Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini said this in the Senate during the report on the conclusion of the Italian mission in Afghanistan. “The Alliance was very clear that staying would almost certainly lead us to a return to military confrontation with the Taliban, who were already preparing for a wide offensive in the spring, effectively leading to a deterioration in security conditions and distorting the Resolute mission. Support, based on the objectives that had been shared with the Afghan institutions, that is training and consultancy », he continued. “This is the basis of the Alliance’s decision, in line with the expectations of the Doha agreement, which I mentioned earlier, precisely to reduce the risk, however present, of an increase in violence, well aware of the problems associated with a re-entry activities – he concluded – I want to share with you the consideration of how complex it is, in terms of organization and planning, even for a re-entry activity like the one we are conducting, perhaps even more so than starting a mission ».
“The Italian soldiers leave Afghanistan after a tragic adventure that lasted twenty years and cost several lives. Did it serve any purpose? Very little, if we think that the Taliban have not disappeared, they control part of the territory, they will return to have a heavy role, the conquests of emancipation and some rights will be canceled again. Only the arms market in recent years has been able to thrive, ”said the national secretary of the Italian Left, Nicola Fratoianni, in a statement. “The left, the one we represent, – continues the leader of SI – in these 20 years has been against it, almost always alone”. “We did well – concludes Fratoianni – but it is time for everyone to admit it.”