Afghanistan president welcomes US plan to withdraw troops by 2016

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/28/afghanistan-president-welcomes-us-plan-withdraw-troops

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President Hamid Karzai welcomed a US plan to bring home almost all American soldiers from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, saying the country was ready to take responsibility for its own security and the move could pave the way for Taliban peace talks.

Many Afghans are happy to see their forces in control after years living alongside heavily armed foreign soldiers, but also worry that the shaky national police and armed forces might struggle to hold off insurgents without foreign air power, intelligence and other help.

The top US commander in Afghanistan rushed to assuage those concerns, saying the deal was not a "zero option" that would leave the country's security forces isolated after 2016, acknowledging critical components such as the fledgling air force would probably get intense and longer-term support.

Funds and equipment would still flow, General Joseph Dunford said, and the handful of troops at the nearby embassy would do more than just guard diplomats inside, continuing with a long-term training mission.

"President Obama also said we will continue to have a robust military presence in the embassy here to continue with the 'train, advise, assist' mission subsequent to that time," Dunford told a news conference in Kabul.

He declined to comment on the number of soldiers, but the footprint will almost certainly be tiny. That would allow both Americans weary of the war and Afghans weary of US and Nato troops to claim that the foreign military mission will be over.

"The end to the US military presence and the takeover by Afghan forces of security responsibilities was a main desire of both the president, the government and of the people of Afghanistan," Karzai, who steps down in just over two months, said in a statement.

"The government of Afghanistan is grateful to the international community for its assistance and remains confident that the Afghan forces will, as they did throughout history, protect their people and territorial integrity with courage and valour," he added.

Karzai and others also expressed hope that the drawdown might finally pave the way for elusive progress in long-running efforts to hold peace talks with the Taliban, who often say they are fighting to evict non-believers from their country.

"The Taliban have always demanded their departure from Afghanistan ... and if we can move towards peace we won't need thousands of soldiers," said Waheed Mozhdah, analyst and former official in the pre-2001 Taliban government. "If the Americans planned to stay for ever, it would be a reason for the war to continue."

Still, the Taliban have vowed to fight Afghan forces even as foreign troops head home, denouncing the Kabul government as a puppet regime.

And though the Afghan police and army are much improved since Nato began training in earnest half a decade ago, they still struggle with serious problems from drug abuse to high dropout rates.

Violence is rising nationwide, and alone they are weak on basic capacities from intelligence gathering and heavy weapons to air support and logistics. The air force not expected to operate independently until 2017 at the earliest.

Women's rights activist Samira Hamadi said: "I think this is the right time, it will be a test for the upcoming president. In terms of our national security forces we have come a long way, they are in the lead now but the important thing is how it will continue."

Women's modest gains of the past decade hang on maintaining security so that they can go out to work or seek justice, she warned. Along with many others, Hamadi has been closely monitoring the fate of nearby Iraq, where conflict spiralled after the 2011 departure of US forces.

"Our leaders have to really look at the Iraq situation and study it very closely and make sure they don't make the mistakes that were made there," she said. "In Iraq the aid wasn't cut off but there was weak leadership and lack of interest in long-term stability."

Additional reporting by Mokhtar Amiri