Exclusive: NATO approaches Qatar to seek training base for Afghan forces after withdrawal

FILE PHOTO: NATO soldiers inspect near the site of an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail/File Photo

DUBAI/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Security officials under NATO command have approached Qatar to secure a base that can be used to train Afghan special forces as part of a strategic commitment after foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan, three senior Western officials said.

After two decades of war, forces from 36 countries involved in NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan are set to pull out of the country in coordination with a U.S. troop withdrawal by Sept. 11.