In neighboring Pakistan, which the United States sees as crucial to ending the war because its military has long given sanctuary to Taliban leaders, officials said they, too, had been surprised by the announcement. They expressed concern about how it could affect the push for peace talks, and about whether a premature withdrawal could lead to the kind of chaos that followed the Soviet Union’s pullout from Afghanistan in the late 1980s.
A senior Pakistani security official said the American withdrawal should be phased and should ensure that Afghanistan’s military and government can sustain themselves.
Much of the feeling of betrayal on the part of Afghan officials stems from the fact that they pinned significant hope on Mr. Trump’s new strategy, staking political capital at home and risking anger in the region.
The strategy, announced as the Taliban were making a serious push for cities and other territory across the country, promised the Afghan government expanded resources, as well as pressure on Pakistan’s military to stop harboring Taliban leaders.
The Afghan government saw it as just the boost it needed in the face of panic. And for American generals and soldiers on the ground, it suggested a long-term commitment. Several Marines who had just returned to Helmand Province, once a site of bloody battles for them, said they now saw the war as “a generational conflict” — one in which their children would probably serve.
Mohammad Radmanish, a retired Afghan general and defense analyst, said the drawdown would not make a big difference on the battlefield.
“After 2014, they are here to support, train and advise the Afghan forces,” Mr. Radmanish said of the Americans. “It is the Afghan forces who are doing the fighting against the terrorists.”
But officers who were still in the fight expressed serious concern.
“If the forces leave here and leave us alone, it will be a dangerous blow and will have very negative consequences,” said Maj. Mohammed Ali Ahmadi, the commander of the Afghan commando battalion in the northeast. “We don’t have the proper capabilities to defend the areas, particularly the areas where the security forces are under grave threat. It will not be fair to us.”
from Just News Update http://bit.ly/2AclqmC
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