NATO chief dismisses early pullout of Afghan troop trainers

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance will only leave Afghanistan when security conditions allow. The commitment comes as a May 1 deadline for withdrawing troops set out in a peace deal with the Taliban nears. NATO has just under 10,000 troops there helping to train and advise the Afghan security forces. Most are not U.S. forces, but NATO couldn’t operate without American support. President Joe Biden is reviewing his predecessor’s 2020 deal with the Taliban. Calls are mounting for him to delay the pullout. Despite rising violence,  Stoltenberg says NATO’s presence “is conditions based” and that the Taliban have to meet their commitments. He said Wednesday that the focus should be on re-energizing Afghan peace talks.