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Days before Afghan president Hamid Karzai is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama, senior administration officials said the White House will not rule out removing all troops from Afghanistan later than 2014 – when the U.S. combat mission expires.
Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, told reporters on a conference call Tuesday that the administration would consider a "zero option" because "the U.S. does not have an inherent objective of X number of troops in Afghanistan."
President Obama has reportedly received several proposals for residual troop levels beyond 2014, but this was the White House’s most explicit acknowledgement that it would consider leaving no U.S. troops in support roles in Afghanistan after the end of combat operations.
The White House has previously expressed a preference for a light operational footprint. Press secretary Jay Carney said on Nov. 26th that the post-2014 American presence would be “very limited in scope.”
White House South Asia advisor Doug Lute said decisions on troop levels would be determined by the atmosphere on the ground, and how well-equipped Afghans are to defend themselves.
"If the Afghan capacity continues on positive glide path and we reach our goals in terms of the development of the army, the police, then you can imagine they require less support,” he said.
The announcement comes on the heels of a scheduled meeting between President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Karzai’s visit, which will include a bilateral meeting, working lunch and joint press conference, will not end with the pronouncement of a final troop level, although that will be among the issues the two leaders discuss, Rhodes said.
“The two leaders will be discussing any potential support for Afghanistan from the United States beyond 2014,” he said, adding that a bilateral security agreement should be finalized by November 2013.
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There really is no point in staying any longer than we need to. The people hate our troops seizing upon any little incident they can find to show and in some cases the feeling is mutual among the NATO troops. They worry about the return of the Taliban but are unwilling to do anything about it. Their government is corrupt and does nothing but siphon off our aid which was intended for the people and rebuild the country's inferstructure after decades of civil war but instead goes to some warlord in the disguise of a local governor or government official.
These people for the most part really do deserve what they get. After all you ripe what you sow.
If you want to live in the "dark ages" while the rest of the world passes you by and looks at you as some kind of curiousity like some lost stone age tribe then so be it.
White House to Taliban - You may not have to wait long for us to leave.
Obama never should have increased the troop commitment to Afghanistan. It was a plan without a payoff.
I agree, Letus. It was too late to up the ante over there after essentially abandoning Afghanistan in '03 for Iraq. It's a damn shame and a reprehensible waste of lives, both military and civilian.
Make no mistake, the theater will not be completely abandoned. It's a lynch pin considering the Pakistan situation.
Special forces will remain, locals will be recruited and surveillance/recon will continue.
I agree, this game should have been up years ago.
The next two years in Afghanistan will be interesting if we fail to reach a Status of Forces Agreement. The Taliban and Iran will be very happy if we pull out completely.
Bring them all home today and let those cave dwellers rot.No more Americans should die over there.That country will be right back to the way it was 3 months after we leave.Give them no more money and no more support and just bring our soldiers home.
About two years too late.
There is absolutely no reason to wait two more years to get our soldiers out of Afghanistan. Just eradicate the opium fields now (the growers are all addicted and being forced to grow by the Taliban anyway) and cut our losses. Afghanistan is not worth the rocks and camel dung it is made of.
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The American People are open to full withdrawal TODAY!
There is NO reason to stay there. It is an alien world not suitable for civilized life forms. Get everyone of the US troops out immediately. If the entire staff of generals at DoD and the Joint Chiefs of Staff want to stay in that sinkhole, that will be just fine with me. They can take their families and friends over there too.