President Barack Obama’s decision on Thursday (Oct 15) to keep a 9,800-strong United States force in Afghanistan through much of next year came as he admitted that Afghan forces were not ready to stand alone.
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Even before Kunduz fell to the Taliban, the administration had been under pressure to abandon plans that would have cut by about half the number of troops in Afghanistan next year and then drop the USA force to about 1,000 troops based only at the embassy in Kabul by the start of 2017.
Obama said he has spoken with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Dr Abdullah Abdullah on his latest decision, which, he argued is the best possible one for lasting progress in Afghanistan.
“The United Kingdom is committed to promoting Afghanistan’s stability and prosperity through our financial, political and military assistance, which includes contributing to the development of future Afghan leaders at the officer academy in Kabul and delivering a vital role for Nato’s Resolute Support Mission headquarters”.
Announcing the plan on Thursday, President Obama said the troop extension could “make a real difference” for Afghanistan and Afghan security forces, which he acknowledged were “not as strong” as they needed to be.
Obama said he will also dramatically slow the pace of the reduction of American forces and plans to maintain the current USA force of 9,800 through “most of 2016”.
An earlier statement from the US National Security Council said the change in policy was the “result of an extensive, months-long review”, and after Mr Obama had consulted “with his full national security team and our Afghan partners”.
On Thursday, leading Democratic candidates – including Hillary Rodham Clinton, who served as Obama’s secretary of state – were silent about the president’s decision.
The conflict, “has not helped the Afghan people, but has cost US taxpayers billions of dollars”, organizers wrote in a press release.
He added, Our continued efforts to stabilize Afghanistan will benefit the entire region and in turn offer greater security for the USA homeland and Americans overseas and at home.
But now, by late next year or early 2017 when Obama steps down and the 45th U.S. president is sworn in, their numbers are expected to remain at about 5,500.
Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he is anxious about leaving USA troops in the war-torn country.
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“A lot of it’s the fact that it’s the terrain and the makeup of the people that are there that are very independent and are interested in fighting whatever government that they have”, Robinette said. A few said they think it’s the right thing to do. “And as our coalition agreed, by the end of 2014 the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country”. In recent weeks, the White House had been examining options offered by Gen. John Campbell, the top USA commander in Afghanistan. During the battle a USA airstrike mistakenly targeted a hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders, killing 12 of the organization’s staff and 10 patients.
