Pentagon chief: US considering slowing exit from Afghanistan

[Lite Beer]

Pentagon chief: US considering slowing exit from Afghanistan
By ROBERT BURNS

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The United States is considering slowing its military exit from Afghanistan by keeping a larger-than-planned troop presence this year and next because the new Afghan government is proving to be a more reliable partner, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Saturday.

Carter, on his first overseas trip since starting the Pentagon job Tuesday, also said the Obama administration is "rethinking" the counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan, although he did not elaborate.

No decisions have been made, but President Barack Obama will discuss a range of options for slowing the U.S. military withdrawal when Afghan president Ashraf Ghani visits the White House next month, Carter said at a news conference with Ghani. The presidents also plan to talk about the future of the counterterrorism fight in Afghanistan, he said.

Carter did not say Obama was considering keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, only that the president was rethinking the pace of troop withdrawals for 2015 and 2016.

There are about 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak of 100,000 as recently as 2010-11.

While the White House recently acknowledged it was reconsidering the exit plan, Carter's remarks were the most direct explanation by a Pentagon official amid criticism from opposition Republicans that the Democratic commander in chief is beating a hasty and risky retreat.

On Feb. 11, the White House said Ghani had requested "some flexibility in the troop drawdown timeline" and that the administration was "actively considering" that. A day later, Gen. John Campbell, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that he had presented U.S. leaders with several options that would allow him to better continue training and advising Afghan forces, particularly through this summer's peak fighting season.

The "common denominator" in the new thinking about the U.S. military mission is a belief in Washington that the formation of a unity government in Kabul last year has opened new possibilities for progress on both the political and security fronts, Carter said.

The unity government of Ashraf and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah offers new promise for a more effective partnership in stabilizing the country, Carter said.

U.S. officials had grown grew impatient with former President Hamid Karzai, who sometimes publicly criticized the U.S. military and took a dimmer view of partnering with the Americans.

"That's a major change," Carter said, something "that just a few months ago we couldn't have planned on."

Obama's current plan calls for troop levels to drop by half from 10,000 by the end of this year and be at nearly zero by the end of 2016. The U.S. would maintain a security cooperation office in Kabul. Ghani has made it known he thinks that should be slowed down in order to better support Afghan forces battling a resilient Taliban insurgency.

In remarks to reporters later Saturday, Campbell said progress in stabilizing Afghanistan is evident in the security forces' ability to plan and execute complex military operations. He said they are in the early stages of a major offensive in Helmand province, combining air and ground forces to retake lost ground. The top U.S. commander said he could not discuss details in order to preserve security for the operation, but said it currently involves fighting near the city of Sangin.

Carter did not specify what changes Obama is considering in the U.S. military presence. But he said could include slowing the withdrawal pace and changing the timing and sequencing of U.S. base closures.

He said Obama also was "rethinking the details" of the U.S. counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan, where there are remnants of al-Qaida as well as signs that the Islamic State militant group is seeking to make inroads here in addition to Iraq and Syria.

Campbell said he is monitoring IS recruiting efforts in Afghanistan, noting that the militant group showed in Iraq that it can, under the right circumstances, spread its influence quickly. But he was adamant that Afghanistan's situation is not like Iraq's and thus not as big a worry.

"We've got a government here that wants us to be here," he said.

In his remarks to reporters, Ghani thanked Obama for being flexible and showing a willingness to consider "the realities on the ground." Using similar phrasing, Carter said that when he returns to Washington he will work up recommendations to Obama, in advance of the March talks, that "reflect reality on the ground."

Carter lauded the progress that Afghanistan has made during the 13 years since U.S. forces invaded and toppled the Taliban rule. Obama's goal, he said, is to "make sure this progress sticks" so that Afghanistan does not again become a launching pad for terrorist attacks on the U.S.

Carter also met in the Afghan capital with Campbell and Gen. Lloyd Austin, the commander of U.S. Central Command, which has responsibility for U.S. operations in Afghanistan and across the Middle East.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-02-22

[NeverSure]

Well, after all of his "Hope and Change" promises in 2008, it looks like Obama is determined to serve Dubya's third and fourth terms in office.

[RustBucket]

Well, after all of his "Hope and Change" promises in 2008, it looks like Obama is determined to serve Dubya's third and fourth terms in office.

This is more to do with Russia than anything else.

Everyone is getting into position, but dont expect to read about it in the mainstream media.

[beechguy]

Well, after all of his "Hope and Change" promises in 2008, it looks like Obama is determined to serve Dubya's third and fourth terms in office.

I think he learned his lesson about the Iraq pullout. ISIS has pissed all over his line in the sand.

[boomerangutang]

I tried finding a topic with the British in Afghanistan, but this one was the closest I could find to insert this story. . . . . .

The Victoria Cross is a highly prestigous honor bestowed upon British or Commonwealth military for exceptional courage in battle. For various reasons, it winds up getting bestowed less and less often - partly because of the changing methods of warfare: less trench warfare and calvary charges, compared to more digital devices/drones of today. The following description was lifted from Wikipedia:

Joshua Mark Leakey, VC (born 1988) is a British soldier currently serving in the Parachute Regiment. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces, for his involvement in a joint UK–USA raid in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on 22 August 2013. He is the first living British soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross for the War in Afghanistan.

The actions for which Leakey was awarded the Victoria Cross occurred on 22 August 2013 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.A routine joint patrol composed of British paratroopers, US Marines and Afghan soldiers had targeted a village to search for illegal weapons. Having been flown into the area in Chinook helicopters, the patrol was attacked by machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades soon after dismounting. Leakey's helicopter had landed on a hill near the village and he, with three other paratroopers and an Afghan soldier, was to provide fire support for the main segment of the patrol. From their vantage point, his section could see the attack and heard over their radio that someone had been injured. Leakey ran up the hill to assess the seriousness of the attack and came to the conclusion that urgent action was needed. Though he was only a lance corporal, he took control of the situation and led his section down to the group under attack.

Having reached the group under attack, he gave first aid to the wounded US Marine Corps captain and began the process of evacuating him from the battlefield. While under fire, he returned to the machine guns that his section had left at the top of the hill. He moved one to a better position to fire at the attacking Taliban even though he was under constant, accurate fire (bullets were ricocheting off the weapon he was carrying). His actions inspired other soldiers to join in the fightback.

While he was manning the machine gun, he was also shouting updates of the situation into his radio.4 Having realised that more than one machine gun would be needed to effectively fight back the insurgents, he allowed his gun to be taken over by another soldier. He then ran once more through heavy fire to retrieve a second machine gun, position it in a suitable site, and then manned it to fire at the Taliban.

The skirmish lasted approximately 45 minutes during which eleven insurgents were killed and four wounded. It was only when air support arrived that fighting ceased. When it did, he handed the second machine gun over to another soldier. He then returned to the injured American officer and oversaw his medical evacuation.

[Rancid]

Well, after all of his "Hope and Change" promises in 2008, it looks like Obama is determined to serve Dubya's third and fourth terms in office.

This is more to do with Russia than anything else.

Everyone is getting into position, but dont expect to read about it in the mainstream media.

The US already has bases surrounding Russia, all in the name of peace & friendship of course.

More likely they never intended withdrawing from occupied Territory, just more media spin.

Mind you if these sociopaths do start a war seems the rich already have their bunkers prepared thank God, imagine the state of the world without them as our unelected leaders...peaceful & cleaner.

One theory goes the US will go to war as they believe they can win a first strike. Another that they need a war to bury the economic mess the central banks have handed us protecting the rich's assets .

Time will tell, who knows what the new nobility are really planning?