Afghan forces ‘will need help’ after NATO pullout

WASHINGTON - Reuters

Officials have said the United States could potentially pull out all of its troops from Afghanistan next year, amid tension between the two countries. REUTERS photo

Despite their growing effectiveness, Afghan forces will need support from the United States and its allies even after the NATO combat mission ends next year, according to a new Pentagon report that implicitly warns against a “zero-option” of total withdrawal.

The Defense Department’s twice-yearly report to Congress on the Afghan war effort suggested that preserving hard-won gains after nearly 12 years of war could depend, at least in part, on the size of whatever force the United States and NATO leave behind after 2014.

U.S. officials have said the United States could potentially pull out all of its troops from Afghanistan next year, amid tensions between President Barack Obama’s administration and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The United States has been talking with officials in Afghanistan about keeping a small residual force there of perhaps 8,000 troops, while NATO allies contribute thousands more. “Assessing whether the gains to date will be sustainable will be difficult to do until the exact size and structure of the post-2014 U.S. and NATO presence is determined,” according to the report, titled “Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan.”

The report said the Taliban lost territorial control in 2012 and through the first quarter of 2013 and was “now less capable, less popular and less of an existential threat to the Afghan government than in 2011.” Still, it cautioned that the Taliban remained resilient, benefiting from corruption within the Afghan state that alienates the population and from sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan.

Despite the challenges, Afghan security forces have made key gains in strength and capability, the report said, but they would still need assistance and combat support through the end of next year.