David Petraeus: Allies will be in Afghanistan for decades
Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor | Michael Evans
August 28 2017, 12:01am,
The Times UK |
| David Petraeus |
American forces are likely to stay in Afghanistan for decades after an increase in troop numbers, a former commander of US and Nato troops in the country has indicated.
General David Petraeus, a former director of the CIA who is credited with quelling the insurgency in Iraq that came after the US-led invasion, pointed to the presence of US forces in South Korea ever since the Korean war and in Europe during the Cold War.
“The analogy with Afghanistan isn’t perfect, given that is a true shooting war, but when we have had significant national interests at stake we have sustained efforts, and I think that is why a sustained commitment is important here but also why that has to be sustainable,” he told The Times.
He “wouldn’t hazard a prediction” on how long Nato forces would be in Afghanistan, but indicated that the 16-year war, America’s longest, was set to last. “This is not the fight of a decade, much less a few years,” he said. “We are engaged in a generational struggle. That is why we need sustained commitments that are sustainable. I believe that this is a sustainable sustained commitment.”
General Petraeus, 64, a former candidate for secretary of state, declined to say whether President Trump or members of the administration, including Lieutenant-General HR McMaster, the national security adviser, who he knows well, had sought his opinion in devising their strategy for Afghanistan and the rest of south Asia, announced last week.
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| The Times UK Graphic Afghan 2017 |
However, he was supportive of the policy, which is expected to mean that an additional 3,900 American forces — taking the number of US troops to 12,300 — would be sent.
A second former US military chief said that the increase would be “helpful but not decisive”. General Jack Keane, who for family reasons turned down the chance to serve as secretary of defence, said that tens of thousands of troops were required to defeat the Taliban but realised that there was no longer support in Congress for action on such a scale.
Mr Trump’s goals in Afghanistan appear to be less ambitious that those of his predecessors, General Keane said. The president aims to stop the Taliban from overthrowing the Afghan government, not to defeat them. In time it is hoped that political reconciliation could be achieved with the insurgents.
There are already more than 12,000 Nato-led troops, more than half of them American, in Afghanistan helping to train and advise the Afghan security forces. A separate counterterrorism mission of up to 2,000 US special forces as well as elite British and other troops is focused on al-Qaeda, Islamic State and the Taliban.
General Petraeus welcomed the absence of an “artificial deadline” for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. He directed veiled criticism towards the Obama administration for constraining commanders by setting exit timelines. “I applaud the commitment to conditions-based decision-making,” he said.
The boost in numbers will enable Nato-led forces to reassert their presence lower down the Afghan chain of command, with officers offering more training and advice to counterparts who are closer to the frontline rather than focusing their efforts at the corps and divisional level. It could also mean more aircraft providing surveillance and reconnaissance as well as a greater capacity to launch airstrikes. Having Nato personnel closer to the front line will enable Afghan forces to take greater advantage of US jets and drones.
General Petraeus said he was confident that Britain and other Nato allies involved in Operation Resolute Support train and advise mission would follow the US lead by increasing troops. The required increase is thought to be up to 2,500 personnel. He would not be drawn on whether a British plan to add 85 troops, including special forces, on top of its 500-strong presence was adequate. “I think at the end of the day we will see Nato countries come through,” he said.
When judging the utility of continuing the campaign, which has cost the lives of more than 2,400 US military personnel, the former commander said that it had prevented al-Qaeda from launching another September 11-style attack from the country. “That remains a national security priority,” he said.
The US presence in Afghanistan also secures a launchpad for counterterrorism operations across the region, such as the raid into Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, he said.
General Petraeus said that the security situation in Afghanistan was “as a Brit would say, fraught” less than three years after Nato declared an end to combat operations. On Saturday the funeral took place of the latest American serviceman killed in Afghanistan. Staff Sergeant Aaron Butler, a member of the Green Beret special forces, died in an explosion in Nangarhar province.
Yesterday at least 13 people were killed in a car bomb attack in Helmand.
General Petraeus attributed a rise in attacks and increase in Taliban-held territory to a number of factors, including the requirement, supported by Barack Obama and David Cameron when they were in power, for the withdrawal of combat troops.
A relaxing last year of the rules of engagement for airstrikes, taking away limitations on striking Taliban forces, would help the renewed push to support the Afghan government, according to the former general, now a partner at a private equity firm. He resigned as director of the CIA in 2012 after an extramarital affair was revealed but remains a highly regarded figure because of his military record.
Source:The Times UK-Subscription Article
