The Vicious Kind
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WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Thursday said that he will host Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif next week and will urge all parties in the region to press Taliban to return to peace talks.
Announcing US troop extension in Afghanistan, Obama said, “Pressure from Pakistan has resulted in more Al Qaeda coming into Afghanistan.”
The US president further said thousands of US troops will remain in Afghanistan past 2016, retreating from a major campaign pledge and acknowledging Afghan forces are not ready to stand alone.
"Afghan forces are still not as strong as they need to be," Obama said, adding that US forces "can make a real difference" by remaining in the war-wracked country for much of next year.
Flanked by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Joe Dunford, Obama said the United States will maintain its current force of 9,800 in the country through 2016.
"As commander in chief, I will not allow Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven for terrorists to attack our nation again," he said.
Then, rather than go down to a normal embassy presence as had been planned, the United States will leave a force of 5,500 troops in place to train Afghan forces and conduct counter-terrorism missions.
He said that while Afghan forces were improving and fighting to defend their country, the security situation remains "very fragile" and "in some places there is risk of deterioration."
"If they were to fail, they would endanger the security of us all. And we´ve made enormous investment in a stable Afghanistan," he said.
"Afghans are making difficult but genuine progress. This modest but meaningful extension of our presence, while sticking to our current, narrow missions can make a real difference," he said.
Coming to office in 2009, Obama had pledged to end the war that has now has cost over 2,000 US lives and injured and maimed tens of thousands of other people.
America´s "longest war" -- one prompted by the Taliban refusal to surrender Al Qaeda leaders including Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 terror attacks -- will continue.
Under previous plans, the United States would have drawn down its troop numbers by the end of 2016 from about 10,000 currently to about 1,000.
Recent intense fighting has underscored the continued role of American troops in training the still fledgling Afghan forces and in vital counterterror operations.
Two weeks ago the Taliban scored their biggest military victory since the 2001 US-led invasion, capturing the city of Kunduz.
Only a swift response by US-trained Afghan security forces led to an eventual Taliban retreat.
Extensive review
A senior administration official said Obama was making his announcement "as a result of an extensive, months-long review, and in consultation with his full national security team and our Afghan partners."
The 5,500 troops that will remain late next year or in early 2017 will stay at a small number of bases, including at Bagram Airfield -- the largest US military base in the country -- Jalalabad in the east, and Kandahar in the south.
But the official stressed that the troops would not have a combat role.
"This announcement in no way changes the fact that our combat mission in Afghanistan has ended, and we will continue to undertake only two narrow missions: counterterrorism and training, advising and assisting our Afghan partners," the official said.
The NATO coalition said Tuesday that US and Afghan forces carried out one of their largest joint operations in southern Kandahar province, dismantling a major Al-Qaeda sanctuary in the Taliban´s historic heartland.
The news on the troop deployment came after a series of setbacks, including a US air strike on October 3 on a hospital in Kunduz run by Doctors Without Borders that killed at least 14 staff and 10 patients, with nine others still unaccounted for.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday foreshadowed the announcement, saying it was important for the United States "to formulate options for 2016 and beyond and make adjustments to the planned US presence based on current circumstances."
"It´s important to say these things because the narrative that we´re leaving Afghanistan is self-defeating," Carter told an Army conference in Washington.
"We´re not, we can´t, and to do so would not be to take advantage of the success we´ve had to date," Carter said.
NATO forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001.
Though the United States represents by far the largest contingent, Carter last week said several NATO defense ministers told him they were open to modifications to current plans.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-2...eda,-announces-troop-extension-in-Afghanistan
Troop extension in Afghanistan: Obama appreciates Paks role against Al Qaeda - thenews.com.pk
My my how the tides have turned , no more "do more do more ".
Announcing US troop extension in Afghanistan, Obama said, “Pressure from Pakistan has resulted in more Al Qaeda coming into Afghanistan.”
The US president further said thousands of US troops will remain in Afghanistan past 2016, retreating from a major campaign pledge and acknowledging Afghan forces are not ready to stand alone.
"Afghan forces are still not as strong as they need to be," Obama said, adding that US forces "can make a real difference" by remaining in the war-wracked country for much of next year.
Flanked by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Joe Dunford, Obama said the United States will maintain its current force of 9,800 in the country through 2016.
"As commander in chief, I will not allow Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven for terrorists to attack our nation again," he said.
Then, rather than go down to a normal embassy presence as had been planned, the United States will leave a force of 5,500 troops in place to train Afghan forces and conduct counter-terrorism missions.
He said that while Afghan forces were improving and fighting to defend their country, the security situation remains "very fragile" and "in some places there is risk of deterioration."
"If they were to fail, they would endanger the security of us all. And we´ve made enormous investment in a stable Afghanistan," he said.
"Afghans are making difficult but genuine progress. This modest but meaningful extension of our presence, while sticking to our current, narrow missions can make a real difference," he said.
Coming to office in 2009, Obama had pledged to end the war that has now has cost over 2,000 US lives and injured and maimed tens of thousands of other people.
America´s "longest war" -- one prompted by the Taliban refusal to surrender Al Qaeda leaders including Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 terror attacks -- will continue.
Under previous plans, the United States would have drawn down its troop numbers by the end of 2016 from about 10,000 currently to about 1,000.
Recent intense fighting has underscored the continued role of American troops in training the still fledgling Afghan forces and in vital counterterror operations.
Two weeks ago the Taliban scored their biggest military victory since the 2001 US-led invasion, capturing the city of Kunduz.
Only a swift response by US-trained Afghan security forces led to an eventual Taliban retreat.
Extensive review
A senior administration official said Obama was making his announcement "as a result of an extensive, months-long review, and in consultation with his full national security team and our Afghan partners."
The 5,500 troops that will remain late next year or in early 2017 will stay at a small number of bases, including at Bagram Airfield -- the largest US military base in the country -- Jalalabad in the east, and Kandahar in the south.
But the official stressed that the troops would not have a combat role.
"This announcement in no way changes the fact that our combat mission in Afghanistan has ended, and we will continue to undertake only two narrow missions: counterterrorism and training, advising and assisting our Afghan partners," the official said.
The NATO coalition said Tuesday that US and Afghan forces carried out one of their largest joint operations in southern Kandahar province, dismantling a major Al-Qaeda sanctuary in the Taliban´s historic heartland.
The news on the troop deployment came after a series of setbacks, including a US air strike on October 3 on a hospital in Kunduz run by Doctors Without Borders that killed at least 14 staff and 10 patients, with nine others still unaccounted for.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday foreshadowed the announcement, saying it was important for the United States "to formulate options for 2016 and beyond and make adjustments to the planned US presence based on current circumstances."
"It´s important to say these things because the narrative that we´re leaving Afghanistan is self-defeating," Carter told an Army conference in Washington.
"We´re not, we can´t, and to do so would not be to take advantage of the success we´ve had to date," Carter said.
NATO forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001.
Though the United States represents by far the largest contingent, Carter last week said several NATO defense ministers told him they were open to modifications to current plans.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-2...eda,-announces-troop-extension-in-Afghanistan
Troop extension in Afghanistan: Obama appreciates Paks role against Al Qaeda - thenews.com.pk
My my how the tides have turned , no more "do more do more ".
. so simple .
