US President Barack Obama announced this week that the United States was shelving its plans to cut the US force in Afghanistan almost in half by the end of 2016, opting instead to keep 8,400 troops there till the close of his presidency next January.
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The U.S. troops in Afghanistan, operating under the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation banner, mostly work as trainers or advisers to Afghan forces.
Earlier this week, Mr Obama told reporters that the security situation in Afghanistan remained “precarious”, with the Taliban still mounting suicide attacks in the capital Kabul and other cities.
Obama has been under pressure from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies and USA lawmakers to make a decision before he attends a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit later this week in Warsaw, Poland.
Ghani’s efforts to get the Taliban to engage in peace talks have been mostly fruitless, and the Afghan public has started losing patience as security worsens. The shift of position came at the urging of the Pentagon and U.S. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies, who said conditions in Afghanistan, including disturbing gains by the Taliban, did not justify a further drawdown.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation leaders are also set to turn their attention to the alliance’s southern flank and neighbouring regions, particularly in the face of the threat posed by the so-called Islamic State and the need to assist the International Anti-Terrorist Coalition.
The numbers fluctuate as units move in and out, and military leaders don’t like to telegraph troop strength, particularly the more secretive special operations forces, to the enemy. By reaffirming American commitment, they said, this would help stem the flow of Afghan refugees, boost “the morale of the Afghan military and Afghan people” and even help change next-door Pakistan’s role as “an incubator of violent extremism”.
Ukraine is making good progress in reforms to bring it into line with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation norms but membership is not on the agenda for now, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Saturday. Some 30 nations have renewed pledges to sustain the Afghan security forces through 2020 at or near current levels.
Former Chief of Army and now head of the University of Canberra’s National Security Institute Peter Leahy said: “As we’ve paralleled U.S. decisions, it’s likely that we would do it again and maintain our forces at the level they are in Afghanistan”. Obama claims that the troops are only there to train and advise Afghan soldiers and police but anyone familiar with United States military history will know that mission creep has a tendency to set in.
David Cameron is to send more British troops to Afghanistan amid concerns about the deteriorating security situation. He spoke of the need for troops and funds to “keep strengthening Afghan forces through the end of this decade”.
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Mr. Obama’s decision “enables us to plan in advance for subsequent phases of the Afghan campaign plan, and where (Afghan forces) might use these authorities going forward”, Nicholson said.
