US Commander in Afghanistan Wants to Slow Down Troop Reduction
Published at
iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — As much as the U.S. wants to extricate itself militarily from Afghanistan, the commander of American forces there is asking the White House if the de-escalation can be slowed down.
With the U.S. having left a residual force of 10,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, the current strategy is to cut this level in half by the end of 2015.
However, General John Campbell said during a Senate hearing Thursday that he wants to see how well Afghan security forces perform as the spring and summer approach, typically the times of year when the Taliban is most aggressive, before any drawdown occurs.
Campbell says he thinks highly of the national army and police but this will essentially BE the first time they’ll be on their own fighting the Taliban.
While American soldiers now serve in training and advisory roles, Campbell feels that they’re still needed in Afghanistan for support.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.