Washington, September 05: The chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said Friday the United States should focus its efforts on building up the Afghan army and police before considering further increases in U.S. combat troops in Afghanistan.
Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, returning from a trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, said there was a growing consensus on the need to expedite the training and equipping of the Afghan army to improve security in Afghanistan. Fifty-one American troops died there in August, the bloodiest month for American forces since the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001.
“There are a lot of ways to speed up the numbers and capabilities of the Afghan army and police. They are strongly motivated,” Levin said from Kuwait. “I think that we should pursue that course … before we consider a further increase in combat forces beyond what’s already been planned to be sent in the months ahead.”
Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters Thursday the war in Afghanistan is worth fighting and said efforts by President Barack Obama, including ordering an additional 21,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, should be given a chance to succeed. Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen would not discuss recommendations contained in a new review of Afghanistan sent this week to them and the president.
A separate recommendation on troop increases is expected from the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who wrote the new review, but how many troops McChrystal wants is unclear. There could be as many as 20,000, but in recent days military officials have predicted it will be far fewer, closer to or fewer than 10,000.
Levin and Democrats Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Ted Kaufman of Delaware, met with McChrystal; retired Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan; and Afghan leaders during their visit.
Levin said McChrystal did not share any plans for additional troops, but they discussed efforts to provide Afghan troops with more training and equipment.
The Michigan senator said the delegation met with elders in the volatile Helmand province, who urged them to help Afghanistan provide for its own security so American troops would no longer be needed.
“They want us to give them the support that they need to be self-sufficient in terms of their security. I believe that’s what they want, that should be our goal, and I believe it’s achievable,” Levin said.
Any additional funding approved by Congress likely will be spent to train Afghan army, police and other security forces to take over the fight against the Taliban, and on equipment to protect U.S. troops from attacks and homemade bombs known as improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.
By the end of the year, an estimated 68,000 troops will be in Afghanistan, 21,000 of whom were ordered there by Obama last spring. Military commanders and State Department officials on the ground have said many more are needed to get the job done.
–Agencies