Several news sources have reported that the plan calls for 5,000 troops to return during the summer, and an additional 5,000 by the end of 2011, with the remaining 20,000 troops to be withdrawn by September 2012. At the same time, that would leave about 70,000 troops in country to continue “counter-insurgency” campaigns alongside the Afghan army and military police until the Afghan forces are able to stand on their own by a projected date of September 2014 – by then the plan calls for a reduction of force to about 38,000 troops, depending upon conditions on the ground.
Is the U.S. Mission in Afghanistan Accomplished?
Reporting for the Associated Press, Ben Feller writes that the President has been “under mounting political pressure to wind down the war, especially since Osama bin Laden…is dead.”
Meanwhile the pace of the withdrawal has been a matter of heated debate as military officials preferred a “more modest” reduction in forces in order to ensure that Afghanistan does not fall into the hands of the Taliban or become a refuge for remnants of al-Queda as the terrorists have now spread out to various parts of central Asia, North Africa and the Middle-East.
That being said the Obama administration contends a that the mission of the surge troops has been accomplished as the capacity of the Taliban has been “eroded” and additional training for Afghanistan's forces to fight for their own country should be completed by next September.
Is the U.S. Retreating from Afghanistan?
In his address, Mr. Obama said that “It’s time to start nation-building here at home.” And his comments have reignited the debate at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) over the purpose of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. In this regard, CFR president Richard N. Haass, contends that Obama should pursue a quicker and more broad-based troop withdrawal aimed at leaving a “residual” force of twenty-five thousand troops for counter-insurgency efforts. On the other hand, Max Boot, a senior fellow at the CFR, believes that Obama’s withdrawal plan amounts to a U.S. “retreat from a battlefield it has fought so hard to secure.”
In the final analysis, a key to Obama’s plans to a quicker reduction in force that even General Patraeus had recommended is the upcoming 2012 presidential election campaign.
Amidst the myriad problems with the Afghan government and claims of extensive corruption of the Karzai regime, it is inevitable that more emphasis will be placed on U.S. and international diplomatic efforts with all of the tribal factions including the Taliban. But the question remains as to whether all the blood and treasure the U.S. has sacrificed and any ongoing diplomatic effort will bring about a more stable Afghan nation.
Sources
- Ben Feller, "Obama address: surge troops home by summer 2012", The Associated Press, June 22, 2011
- Max Boot, Richard N. Haass, Gauging U.S. Commitment in Afghanistan, Council on Foreign Relations, June 23, 2011
Kyle Colona - Kyle Colona is a freelance writer from the New York area with an extensive background in legal and regulatory affairs.
