Europe Starts Talks on Rapid Military Force After Afghan Exit
- Defense ministers rally around push for 5,000-strong unit
- Hurdles slow progress on deployment for crisis areas
Taliban fighters during a celebration parade in Kandahar on Sept. 1.
Photographer: Javed Tanveer/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
European Union nations rallied around a push to create a military force of some 5,000 troops in the wake of the Afghan withdrawal, but they have yet to agree on many of its details.
Defense ministers meeting in Slovenia repeatedly referred to the Afghan evacuation as a “fiasco” and “debacle” on Thursday, appealing for the EU’s military capability to be strengthened, according to officials familiar with the closed-door talks. Slovenia currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.