WASHINGTON: Former Commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Gen. John Allen on Friday cautioned against complete withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan.
While speaking during a forum in Colorado, Gen. John Allen said that Afghan leaders must realize that their forces are not fully trained and need a US presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014 although Afghan national security forces have made great gains.
“I’ve got a good bit of experience with senior Afghan leaders, and I can tell you they desperately want our presence after this war,” Gen. John Allen speaking in Aspen Security Forum said.
Gen. Allen further added, “They don’t want us in large numbers, but they want us there in enough numbers to help to continue to develop the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces).”
He also added that he was never asked to evaluate a “zero option” – leaving no U.S. troops behind after 2014 – but said that if that option is in play now, it’s “largely out of exasperation with the rhetoric coming out of the palace,” referring to the strained U.S relationship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
White House officials earlier this month announced that President Barack Obama is considering a “zero option” that would remove all US troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Washington reportedly was considering the option in a reflection of America’s growing frustration with Hamid Karzai’s government, American and European officials revealed.
Relations between Afghan president Hamid Karzai and president Obama reportedly reached a new low last month following the establishment of Taliban political office in Qatar, which led to suspension of bilateral security agreement between Kabul and Washington.
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