Reports on Chinese peacekeepers for Kabul have no formal basis

KABUL (Pajhwok): A report about the possible deployment of Chinese peacekeepers to Afghanistan, attributed to a Chinese international relations analyst, is not based on formal source.

Claim: Some people think that Chinese peacekeepers are coming to Afghanistan. Abdul Saboor, a resident of Kabul, said: “Some media outlets have reported that as the Americans are leaving, the Chinese are coming to Afghanistan…. I said the turn of the British, Russians and Americans is over, this time the Chinese are coming to put us in trouble once again.”

Mohammad Nazir Basirzoy, another resident of Kabul, said: “I saw report on Facebook that Chinese troops would come to Afghanistan after the withdrawal of Americans. But they will be peacekeepers.” Pajhwok asked both of them about the source for the report about the expected deployment of Chinese peacekeepers to Afghanistan. However, they did not have accurate information.

Fact check: The United States and NATO said the week before last that they would begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan on May 11 and would complete the pullout by September 11. The South China Morning Post wrote in an analytical article that Beijing might send a peacekeeping force to Afghanistan after the US troops leave that country.

Sun Qi, an international relations specialist at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, feared the situation in Afghanistan could further worsen after the pullout of foreign troops. “The situation in Afghanistan might go further into chaos in the future. Cross-border crime, drug trafficking and smuggling of firearms may proliferate,” he warned.

The withdrawal may pose a threat to Afghanistan’s security and stability, which could spill over into Xinjiang and disrupt China’s counterterrorism efforts. The Afghan forces were not capable of ensuring the security of their country, he claimed. The article has also been published by the Kabul-based newspaper Weesa. It has also been shared on social media.

Maroof Attaee, citing the South China Morning Post, wrote: “Chinese peacekeepers may come to Afghanistan after the US pullout.” Pajhwok shared the issue with some Afghan officials, but they declined commenting on it. They said the remarks had been made only by an analyst. Pajhwok also shared the issue with the Chinese embassy in Kabul. However, the embassy has not yet answered Pajhwok’s query.
Outcome: Some people suggest the issue of Chinese peacekeepers coming to Afghanistan has been raised at the governmental level. But the fact is that only an analyst has raised the issue.

Verdict: Statements about the deployment of Chinese peacekeepers to Afghanistan have no official basis.