A number of US senators on Thursday expressed mixed reactions to a plan for monitoring Afghanistan from beyond its borders and said that a complete retreat from the country will make it difficult for the United States to provide effective support to Afghan forces.
This comes a day after top US Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie said he will make recommendations to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in early June on how to monitor and fight “terrorist groups” in Afghanistan from beyond its borders after troops withdrawal.
In their testimonies before the US Senate, Pentagon officials noted that the United States was able to monitor insurgent groups in Afghanistan without having a military presence in the country.
“We have the capabilities to be able to posture in the region where it is required,” said Gen. Matthew G. Trollinger, Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs. “We have the capabilities to able to monitor potential adversaries, track these adversaries and then strike when conditions permit.”
But some US senators said that a complete withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan will obstruct America’s effective cooperation with the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) to tackle threats arising from terror groups.
“We must look to transition to a new counterterrorism architecture in the region to continue to degrade al Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups and prevent their ability to attack our homeland,” Senator Jack Reed said. “CENTCOM commander General McKenzie recently provided the committee some assurances that such a counter-terrorism posture in the region was possible.”
“A complete withdrawal of US troops will make it much harder and more expensive to effectively support our Afghan security partners,” said Senator Jim Inhofe.
“We are working to develop the options to be able to provide the type of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and other necessary elements to maintain our counterterrorism capability,” said David Helvey, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs.
Meanwhile, US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad this week said that talks between the United States and Afghan neighbors are underway about how to monitor the situation in Afghanistan.
“The Taliban face a fundamental choice between two very different futures: they can enhance and embrace a negotiated path to peace, make a transition from violent insurgency to a political movement and be part of a nation that enjoys respect in the global community. But if they pursue a military takeover, they will face isolation, regional opposition, sanctions and international opposition,” Khalilzad said.
Moreover, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday said as the alliance’s military presence is ending in Afghanistan, but added that NATO is opening a new chapter in the country and that its future support “will have three main pillars.”
According to a statement by NATO, the two leaders also discussed the fight against terrorism in Iraq, the Sahel region, and Afghanistan.
Stoltenberg said that “first, we plan to provide advice and capacity-building support to Afghan security institutions.” This will also include “continued financial support to the Afghan security forces,” he said.
This comes at a time that the prospect for a negotiated settlement of the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan remains vague and the level of violence continues to rise in various regions of the country.
