US Could Delay Withdrawing Troops from Afghanistan

Local Editor

US commanders are weighing a delay in the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan after the country's protracted election set back preparations for the transition, Washington war officials said on Wednesday.

After a months-long electoral dispute that postponed the signing of a crucial US-Afghan security agreement, there are questions about whether allied governments will have arrangements in place for their troops to deploy by 2015 and the readiness of Afghan forces, officials said.

A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that pushing back the timeline is "an option" that is being looked at, but no decision has been made.

The new head of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, and other senior officers are reviewing whether a larger force needs to stay in place longer than initially planned, officials said.

Yet, under the current plan outlined by US President Barack Obama, the American force is said to dwindle to 9,800 troops by January along with roughly 2,000 allied forces, and all American soldiers will be out by the end of 2016.

At its peak, the US force rose to more than 100,000 in Afghanistan, and there are now 27,000 troops deployed.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team