The U.S. commander of
international forces in Afghanistan said on Tuesday he will make a
recommendation of how many American troops should remain in Afghanistan after
he sees how well Afghan security handles the summer fighting season.
"We need to see
how the Afghans do in their first summer in the lead, and make an assessment in
November 2013,'' Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford told a Senate Armed
Services Committee hearing.
He said other variables
such as the state of the enemy and Afghanistan's political transition would
also inform his decision.
Dunford stressed
repeatedly that the United States could not make a troop commitment until it
had signed a bilateral security agreement with the Afghan government.
Washington and Kabul have been negotiating such a pact, which would address the
relationship of the two countries for years to come.
Lawmakers have been
pressing U.S. commanders to release recommendations for how many troops should
remain in Afghanistan after 2014, when President Barack Obama has pledged to
withdraw most U.S. forces.
The decision is a
delicate one. Obama wants to put an end to the conflict launched after the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but also to ensure enough troops stay behind to train
and support Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations against al
Qaeda and its allies.
Senator John McCain
said the refusal to announce a troop commitment made the U.S. mission in
Afghanistan more difficult.
"One of the
reasons we're having so much difficulty in some areas is because the Afghans
don't know what our commitment is,'' he said, sharply.
"I can't tell you
how disappointed I am in your testimony, general,'' the Arizona Republican
said.
General James Mattis,
who leads the U.S. military's Central Command, said last month that he has
recommended keeping 13,600 American troops in Afghanistan after 2013.
Dunford told reporters
after the hearing that he would not comment on that figure.
Sources :
http://www.voanews.com/content/afganistan-troops-withdrawal/1642820.html
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