Washington, July 7 (UNI) In a letter to the Congress, US President Joe Biden has said that he will officially rescind Afghanistan's designation as a major non-NATO ally.
In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, he said, "In accordance with section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2321k), I am providing notice of my intent to rescind the designation of Afghanistan as a Major Non‑NATO Ally."
In 2012, then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had termed Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally, clearing path for the two countries to maintain a defense and economic relationship.
According to CNN, unlike NATO allies of the United States, who are bound together by a joint defense pact, there is no mutual defense guarantee as a non-NATO ally though they are eligible to receive material and supply loans, as well as serve as a location for US-owned war reserve stockpiles.
With the latest decision on Afghanistan, the US will now have 18 major non-NATO allies -- Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Thailand and Tunisia.
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