International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is less than a year away from the date set for their withdrawal from Afghanistan. Yet, it remains completely ambiguous that what number of US and other coalition forces will remain in Afghanistan after 2014. The sooner the West’s post-2014 military plans are known, the better it will be for lessening the political and economic uncertainties in Afghanistan. The fate of the Bilateral Security Agreement still remains unknown and there is no indication that it will be signed soon.
The deadlock facing the BSA only means giving Taliban more time to plan carefully for implementing the heinous plans they have for disrupting the upcoming election and the subsequent political transition. They have already launched certain deadly attacks in Kabul and other provinces of the country that have cost lives of scores of innocent people.
President Hamid Karzai has been clear on his part. Speaking in clear words on Saturday he said that the US was free to leave Afghanistan if it was not willing to positively respond to the conditions set by him. He further elaborated that he would not sign security agreement unless the US did not ensure formal initiation of peace dialogues with Taliban. Had the Taliban been under the US control, it would not have sacrificed more than 2,000 of its troops in fight against them.
Meanwhile, NATO commander in Afghanistan, US General Joseph Dunford is to urge President Barack Obama during his visit to the White House today to keep 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. It has also been said that Gen. Dunford’s plan B is to recommend keeping only a few hundred U.S. troops to manage military aid programs if Obama rejects his preferred number of troops.
With the US authorities still waiting signing of BSA by Hamid Karzai, it seems difficult that any particular decision can be made on post-2014 US troops’ level in Afghanistan. On the other hand, the fact that discussion over US troops’ level is taking place in the White House somehow means that President Karzai’s remarks are no more being taken as serious. The US authorities’ hope in President Karzai seems to be fading away and they might be looking forward to settling issues with the new president of Afghanistan that will be elected in the spring presidential election.