The US Commander General Dunford has warned about the uncertainty across Afghanistan as we get closer to the withdrawal deadline.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said many Afghans no longer fear the Taliban as much as they fear what will happen after 2014. There is a growing sense that December 2014 is a cliff for the Afghan people. He supported continued presence of the US forces at four regional bases across Afghanistan, the suggestion of Pentagon which the Obama Administration has been reluctant to approve.

Senator Duncan Hunter, a member of the committee and Republican, said the American military officials in Afghanistan hope the number of troops will include between 10,000 to 13,000. He added that the US allies could ideally contribute about 7,000 troops. He said, “If we don’t get a bilateral agreement and we don’t get the troops, Afghanistan is not going to get the money,” Hunter said in an interview.

Another Senator James Inhofe said the Obama Administration’s suggested range of 8,000 to 12,000 NATO troops for post-2014 “is woefully inadequate to support counterterrorism operations and substantive training”. He added, “A force of 10,000 would barely be able to protect itself and would likely result in ceding the city of Herat in the west to Iranian authorities, which is a scary thought.”

General Dunford also said that the peace process efforts for talks and negotiated settlement are not bearing any fruit. “I don’t have any insight today that would lead me to believe the Taliban will be part of the political process in 2014,” he said.

The Obama Administration has yet to come with a clear number of troops to stay in Afghanistan. They have also indicated options of full withdrawal, particularly after the recent tirades of President Karzai. Washington media leaks indicate that the Obama Administration wants as low as 3000 troops, while American military commanders from Afghanistan and the leadership in Pentagon have proposed between 9000 to 15000 troops. With the 3000 figure, how can a sophisticated counterterrorism mission be conducted?

When Special Forces will depend on aerial drone strikes against precise militant hideouts, it cannot be carried with sufficient ground support on logistics and intelligence. How can they conduct any training programs for ANSF with 3000 troops remaining after 2014? These questions remained unanswered.