Blake Hall
As was reported yesterday, President Obama was scheduled to meet with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday with the very good possibility that he’d agree to freeze troop levels at 9,800 through the end of the year in the troubled Asian country.
Well, he did.
He agreed. He also vowed to end the war by the conclusion of his presidency.
Spurred mostly by the White House’s immense confidence in Ghani — a marked improvement over the previous leader, Hamid Karzai — Obama praised the new head of state in saying that he’s taking “the mantle of commander of chief in a way that we have not seen in the past from an Afghan president.”
“Afghanistan is still a dangerous place,” Obama said. “The way it’s going to become less dangerous is by Afghan security forces being capable of keeping law and order and security in the country, and that is not going to happen if foreign forces are continually relied upon.”
According to the Washington Post, last year’s fighting season was one of the most violent for Afghans since the U.S. invasion in 2001. Still, Obama was steadfast in stating that the Afghans are undoubtedly a more formidable force than the insurgents citing, in particular, their capabilities and assets.
“They’re better equipped than the Taliban,” Obama said. “They are better equipped than the Haqqani network.”
The extra U.S. troops will be moved to the locations in Afghanistan now-dominated by the Taliban, according to the White House.
Not everyone outside of the meeting room was as positive as the ones in it, however. Those not involved in the deal and the handshake — former officials and analysts primarily — remain extremely skeptical.
This from the Washington Post:
Shortly before Obama and Ghani met, several former senior officials from the Obama and Bush administrations released an open letter that described the war in Afghanistan as a “stalemate.” Among those who signed the letter were Ryan Crocker, Obama’s former ambassador to Afghanistan; and Michèle Flournoy, who was among Obama’s top choices to serve as defense secretary.
“The Taliban are intensifying their pressure on Afghan civilians,” the letter said. “Meanwhile the political and economic situation is fragile.”
The 23 experts said that a full U.S. withdrawal in 2016 would “unnecessarily put at risk hard-won gains of the last 13 years.”