WASHINGTON: The US commander in Afghanistan said Tuesday he would not issue a recommendation on the pace of troop drawdown for several months, despite calls in Washington to speed withdrawal after a series of damaging incidents in the war.
General John Allen acknowledged the NATO-led mission faced a "trying" time but insisted the fight against Taliban insurgents was "on track" while avoiding a discussion on the possible timetable for a troop drawdown.
The US force of nearly 90,000 is due to be scaled back to 68,000 by the end of September, coinciding with the close of the "fighting season" before the start of winter.
But President Barack Obama has yet to announce how many boots will stay on the ground next year amid a debate inside the White House on the war and growing pressure on the left in Congress for a faster exit.
Allen told the House Armed Services Committee that once American reinforcements were pulled out as planned at the end of September, he would assess what force levels would be needed in 2013 and 2014 and make his proposal for a troop drawdown schedule to the White House before the end of the year.
The general said "before the end of 2012 I intend to provide through my chain of command to the president a series of recommendations on the kind of combat power that I'll need for 2013 and 2014.
"I don't have a decision at this point."
The bulk of US and allied combat forces are due to withdraw by the end of 2014 when Afghan forces are supposed to take over security for the whole country.
The commander of US and NATO troops also said he had not made up his mind whether he would recommend an offensive in eastern Afghanistan, which officials had long suggested would follow up operations in the south.
"I've not made a final decision at this point. We anticipate shifting resources to the east in any case because it remains there that the principal COIN (counterinsurgency) fight will ultimately be shaped in 2012," he said.
Allen said the Taliban had been rolled back in its spiritual heartland in the mainly Pashtun southern provinces and that coalition forces would focus on consolidating those battlefield gains.
While the eastern region was important, Allen said "my number one goal will be to continue to deny the enemy access back into the key terrain of this insurgency which is the Pashtun population in the south."
His comments are likely to fuel speculation about future troop levels, as a faster drawdown would preclude any push in the east.
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