US forces to stay longer in Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

http://atimes.com/2016/02/us-forces-to-stay-longer-in-afghanistan/



US thinks troop levels in Afghanistan should be determined by conditions on the ground and not by an artificial timetable

US forces to stay longer in Afghanistan
By Salman Rafi on February 24, 2016

While the Afghan war is well into its fifteenth year, its end seems to be as controversial and complex as the very start of the war and its conduct have been throughout.

Whereas the U.S. does not want to completely abandon Afghanistan, the regional countries do not want a long-term U.S. military presence at all.

A clear divergence of interests, therefore, exists, which continues to add fuel to the fire. As the death toll rises in Afghanistan, so does the lobbying in the U.S. official circles for a longer stay in Afghanistan. Leaving Afghanistan wide open to its competitors is something that the U.S. cannot strategically afford. Nor can it possibly continue to fight the war.

To accomplish both objectives, a two-edged policy is being followed whereby the path for a ‘relative exit’ is being made. Neither does a full withdrawal nor a large military presence appear a feasible option to the U.S. policy makers.

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Afghanistan is known as the Graveyard of Empires for a good reason.

[bemildred]

1. "troop levels in Afghanistan should be determined by conditions on the ground"

Translation: we are managing this conflict, not trying to win it