Senators back steps to slow U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan
Lawmakers from both parties lined up Thursday behind a military proposal to slow the departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, warning that President Obama could jeopardize hard-won gains against the Taliban unless he backs away from his time-based exit plan.
Both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee expressed support for steps now under consideration by the White House that would give Gen. John F. Campbell, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, leeway to retain additional troops into next year.
If weve learned anything from Iraq, it should be that wars do not end just because politicians say so, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the committee chairman, said during a hearing on U.S. operations in Afghanistan.
Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the panels ranking Democrat, said he thinks that any future reductions in U.S. force levels in Afghanistan should be based on the security conditions at the time of the proposed reductions.
Campbell, who commands a force of 10,600U.S. troops and more than2,000 from allied countries, described considerable progress in Afghanistan more than 13years after foreign forces began battling Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters there.
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Gen. John. F. Campbell, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, says he has provided his chain of command with options for troop drawdown in 2015. (Reuters)
He said Afghan forces, which now number350,000, have grown stronger, and he expressed confidence that new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani would be able to shepherd Afghanistan through a delicate period following the end of the U.S. and NATO combat mission.
But Campbell sought to temper expectations about what his small force will be able to achieve as it mentors Afghan forces and seeks to head off a Taliban comeback under a tight timeline.
We will need to evaluate and prioritize our efforts in light of restricted resources and the limited time available to accomplish our mission, he said in prepared remarks.
The general cited shortcomings of Afghan forces in intelligence, air power and special operations and said the Taliban, emboldened by the departure of most foreign forces, was likely to mount a strong offensive this spring and summer.
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Senators back steps to slow U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan