The commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and of U.S. forces in Afghanistan says that all of the Afghan presidential candidates are in favor of signing the Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States, and continued affiliation with NATO.
Briefing the Senate on Wednesday, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. warned of the consequences of the lack of foreign support to Afghan security forces after the 2014 NATO troop withdrawal deadline
By any measure, the U.S. and NATO campaign in Afghanistan has been successful, but that success will be jeopardized if international troops must withdraw at the end of the year, said the commander of the US, NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Gen. Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that operations in Afghanistan have been successful in preventing al-Qaida and other terror groups from using the nation as a haven and staging ground, but this progress is fragile, and Afghanistan will need international trainers and some counter-terrorism help to maintain progress.
"On balance, after watching the [Afghan forces] respond to a variety of challenges over the past year, I do not believe the Taliban-led insurgency represents an existential threat to [the Afghan government or Afghan security forces]," Dunford said.
But NATO and partner nations must remain for Operation Resolute Support, according to him.
"Without the Resolute Support mission, the progress made to date will not be sustainable," he said. "A limited number of advisers will be required in 2015 to continue the train, advise, and assist mission." Specifically, he said, the advisers will look at aviation, intelligence, special operations and building the capability to run security departments.
Without this help, Dunford said, Afghan forces will deteriorate. Al-Qaida and like-minded organizations would see an opportunity to again establish bases in Afghanistan, and that would be a threat to the United States and America's national interests, the General told the senators.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign the bilateral security agreement, and US President Barack Obama has directed the U.S. military to develop plans for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of the year in the absence of a signed agreement.
Karzai says that no pact would be signed until the April 5 presidential elections, which he is not contesting as the country's Constitution bars the incumbent from running for a third term.
Fortunately, Dunford said, all of the Afghan presidential candidates favor signing the agreement and continued affiliation with NATO. He told the senators that he sees a force of between 8,000 and 12,000 in the country, with most involved in the train, advise, assist role and some limited counter-terrorism operations.
Dunford noted that the Afghan forces did well against a determined enemy in the 2013 fighting season and stand poised to run a safe and secure election next month.
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