The US will keep 5500 of its troops in Afghanistan well into 2017, explained President Obama on Thursday, ending his own ambitions to bring back the majority of the American forces from the war-devastated country before leaving office.
The decision comes after a several months-long review that involved frequent discussions with Afghani leaders, the president’s national security team, and US commanders in Afghanistan. This move is a reflection of the painful – if not predictable – ground realities in Afghanistan, where Taliban took control of a new territory last year after the Afghan troops took over the majority of the fighting.
“Afghan forces are still not as strong as they need to be,” said Obama on Thursday morning from the White House, as he explained his decision. “. . . Meanwhile, the Taliban has made gains, particularly in rural areas, and can still launch deadly attacks in cities, including Kabul.”
He also revealed his plans to gradually slow the rate at which American forces are being recalled, while planning to keep the current 9800 troops through most of 2016. The forces remaining in Afghanistan post-2016 would continue to focus on training the Afghan army, with particular emphasis on the elite counter-terrorism forces.
The US will maintain its counter-terrorism capabilities of Special Operations forces and drones to strike militants, including al-Qaeda, who might have plans to carry out attacks against the U.S..
The troop plans were devised following an incident where Afghan troops were driven from the first major city to fall into the hands of the Taliban, Kunduz, since 2001. It took the Afghans two weeks – albeit support from Special Operations advisers and US planes, to take back the city from the Taliban.
According to Obama, militants are posing an immense threat to other cities, “The bottom line is, in key areas of the country the security situation is still very fragile, and in some places there’s risk of deterioration.”
The US President had high praise for the Afghan Government being headed by President Ashraf Ghani. He also lauded the efforts of Afghan troops who were taking heavy casualties, one of the reasons Obama opted to keep US troops stationed in Afghanistan.
“Every single day, Afghan forces are out there fighting and dying to protect their country,” said Obama. “They’re not looking for us to do it for them.”
Obama was not disappointed with his inability to get all of the troops back home and that he understood his country’s war weariness after being engaged in war for more than 14 years. “I do not support the idea of endless war,” he said.
This decision followed the unfortunate collapse of the US-trained Iraqi army in the previous year following immense pressure from the Islamic State. Republicans have blamed Obama of withdrawing troops too quickly from Iraq, hastening the collapse of the Iraqi army and allowing the Islamic State to rise. The president, in his statement from the White House, did not comment on the Iraqi failures.
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