Nato Could Keep 12,000 Soldiers in Afghanistan Post-2014

The US and Nato allies revealed Friday they may keep as many as 12,000 troops in Afghanistan after the combat mission ends next year.

The US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said most allied defence ministers assured him they are committed to remaining part of a US-led coalition, aiming to keep between 8,000 to 12,000 troops after the combat mission ends in 2014.

“I feel very confident that we are going to get a number of nations to make that contribution for the enduring presence,” Panetta said in a news conference at Nato headquarters in Brussels.

The Obama administration has not said how many troops or diplomats it intends to keep in Afghanistan after 2014. It is in the early stages of negotiating a bilateral security agreement with the Afghan government, an agreement that would set the legal parameters for the US presence. The US currently has about 66,000 troops in Afghanistan.

US President Barack Obama had announced in his State of the Union address that by this time next year, 34,000 US troops will have left, with the rest of the combat force to depart by the end of 2014, along with their counterparts from Nato and other partner countries.

But in announcing the projected troop levels after 2014, Panetta warned that the financial crisis and domestic US political gridlock might factor strongly in the final troop count.

“There’s no question in the current budget environment, with deep cuts in European defense spending and the kind of political gridlock that we see in the United States now with regards to our own budget, is putting at risk our ability to effectively act together,” Panetta said.

Panetta is expected to retire as soon as his successor is confirmed. The Senate could vote on the confirmation of former Sen. Chuck Hagel as the next Pentagon chief as early as Wednesday.

Panetta is leaving just as Gen. Joseph Dunford is settling in as the successor to Gen. John Allen as commander of US and allied forces in Afghanistan.

“As I prepare to step down as secretary of defense, I do fear that the alliance will soon be, if it is not already, stretched too thin,” Panetta said.

www.tolonews.com

Tags: 12000, Afghanistan, could, in, keep, NATO, Post-2014, soldiers

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