Washington : U.S. defense secretary Leon E. Panetta said U.S. forces would end their combat mission in Afghanistan by mid-2013, taking on an “advise and assist” role (NYT) to Afghan security forces. All U.S. troops are expected to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Panetta made the announcement en route to Brussels for a NATO meeting focusing on the future of Afghanistan. The decision comes on the heels of a leaked NATO report that says the Taliban, allegedly backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, remains a significant obstacle to peace in Afghanistan.
“For the United States, the war is coming to an end. Its critical goals have been achieved. Osama bin Laden is dead. Al-Qaeda there is virtually dead. There are no vital interests to justify further great sacrifices. And now it’s time to act upon this reality and bring the heroes home, writes CFR’s Leslie H. Gelb at the Daily Beast.
“The U.S. report belies the notion that the policy of assassinating mid-level Taliban commanders (night raids are often little more than death squads) is having any lasting effect on an organization which retains the ability to selectively moderate its violence in order to encourage NATO forces to leave faster,”
“The essential goal now–as 11 years ago–is to prevent Afghanistan becoming a base for international terrorism. Worryingly, however, NATO’s common purpose is disintegrating. America announced yesterday that it would end combat operations in the middle of next year, well ahead of the December 2014 deadline for withdrawal agreed by NATO,” says