General John Campbell Says He Wants to Keep U.S. Troops in
Afghanistan for as long as possible—and is considering asking for even more
Published on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 by Common Dreams
Written by Sarah Lazare
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General John F. Campbell pictured in Kabul, Afghanistan,
Saturday, May 23, 2015. (Photo: Allauddin Khan/AP)
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If the highest ranking U.S. and NATO military commander in
Afghanistan gets his way, America's longest official war could become even more
protracted.
Army General John Campbell said in a USA Today article
published on Tuesday that he wants to keep the 9,800 American troops currently
in Afghanistan there for as long as possible—and is considering asking for even
more boots on the ground.
"My intent would be to keep as much as I could for as
long as I could," Campbell told the paper from Kabul.
The general's comments follow President Barack Obama's
October announcement that he plans to reverse his prior pledge to remove all
but 1,000 U.S. troops from the country by the conclusion of 2016. Instead,
Obama proclaimed that the 9,800 troops will be maintained through most of 2016
and then cut to 5,500 by the beginning of 2017.
Even then, Obama's statement came despite the official
declaration a year ago that the war was "over."
But now Campbell plans to ask the president to put off troop
withdrawals even further by delaying the reduction to 5,500 troops.
"If I don't believe that we can accomplish the train,
advise and assist... the (counter-terrorism) missions, then I owe it to the
senior leadership to come back and say, 'Here's what I need,'" Campbell
said. "If that's more people, it's more people."
The general expressed confidence that he will get his way.
"My job as commander on the ground is to continually make
assessments," Campbell said. "Every time I've gone to the president
and said, 'I need X,' I've been very, very fortunate that he’s provided that.
So he’s been very flexible."
Campbell's comments come as the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan
stretches well into its 15th year—and appears certain to extend into the next
presidency. While many argue that the Afghanistan intervention is not, in
reality, the longest war in U.S. history, it is widely recognized as the most
protracted according to the official record.
What's more, the Bilateral Security Agreement signed in 2014
by the U.S. and Afghanistan locks in another decade of heavy American
involvement in the country, including the training, funding, and arming of the
Afghan military. The pact also secures immunity for U.S. service members under
Afghan law—a highly controversial measure in a country that has suffered
civilian massacres by U.S. troops.
The U.S. is planning a military role long into Afghanistan's
future despite indications that its long-term intervention and occupation so
far has worsened conflict and violence, with the Taliban now showing signs of
increased strength.
Meanwhile, Afghan civilians continue to pay the greatest
price. In the first half of 2015 alone, United Nations agencies documented
4,921 civilian casualties (1,592 deaths and 3,329 injured).
