WASHINGTON - US Senators on Tuesday warned the Obama administration against leaving a fewer number of troops in Afghanistan beyond this year, saying it would be a fatal mistake.
“We hope a recent press report that the White House is considering a post-2014 force in Afghanistan well below the recommendations of our military commanders is incorrect,” Senators Lindsey Graham, Kelly Ayotte and John McCain said in a joint statement.
Reuters on Tuesday reported the administration is considering leaving “well below"10,000 troops in Afghanistan after 2014. That is the minimum number military commanders say would be necessary to continue training Afghan forces and conducting a counterterrorism mission there.
“After 13 years of sacrifice and investment, success in Afghanistan is now within our grasp. The last thing we should do in the coming years is increase the risks to our mission unnecessarily," the US lawmakers said.
They also urged the White House to consider "the lesson of Iraq," where all US troops were pulled from the country after the US and Iraq failed to sign a bilateral security agreement.
"The administration ignored sound military advice and adopted a high risk strategy of withdrawing all US troops," they said.
"The result, tragically, is a resurgent Al-Qaeda, rising violence, and growing risk of renewed sectarian conflict. That fatal mistake in Iraq must not be repeated in Afghanistan."
The statement said they believed the number of troops recommended by US military leaders represented sound military advice and would allow for continued US support in the areas still needed by Afghan security forces.
Maintaining several thousand additional US troops in Afghanistan could mean the difference between success and failure, they added.
However, the Obama Administration ruled out it had taken any decision on troop numbers as yet. “Until we have concluded a bilateral security agreement (BSA), we would not expect to announce any potential troop numbers,” State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.
“Should we have a BSA and a willing and committed partner in the Afghan government, a limited post-2014 mission focused on training, advising, and assisting Afghan forces and going after the remnants of core al-Qaida is something certainly we still support. We think it’s in our interest, it’s in the interest of the Afghan people, and we will continue to encourage that,” Psaki said.
Observing that a final decision would come from President Barack Obama, Psaki said the present would consider a range of factors while making a decision.
“We remain fully supportive of our partners in the Afghan security forces. We continue to proudly work side by side with many Afghans who continue to work to ensure the stability and prosperity of their fellow citizens. Clearly, there’s an ongoing deliberative process that is taking into account a range of factors,” she said.
“We look forward to working with the next Afghan administration on the future of Afghanistan, the future of our security relationship and our military-to-military relations,” the Pentagon Press Secretary, Rear Admiral, John Kirby, told reporters at another news conference. (Pajhwok)