Fearing Taliban retake, US troops may stay in Afghanistan for another 16 years

(Baonghean.vn) - According to the White House's current strategy to maintain its commitment in Afghanistan, US forces could remain in the South Asian country for another 16 years, or even generations to come.

Afghan police officers stand guard at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul. Photo: AP

Speaking at the Center for the National Interest, retired US General John Allen emphasized: “I think we will be there for another 16 years. However, I do not think this is a lost 16 years for us.”

General Allen said US forces in Afghanistan could “maintain” this status indefinitely under a new strategy under President Donald Trump.

Maintaining the security level of US forces in Afghanistan will allow the South Asian country to further develop its capacity for governance and economic development.

General Allen asserted that for that reason Washington could stay there for another 16 years, the country had been in Kosovo for a very long time, and had been stationed in the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt) for a generation.

General Allen also stressed that the US has been in South Korea and Japan for decades “to win peace.” Afghanistan may never become a full-fledged democracy, but General Allen said the only option is to maintain the status quo.

The other option is to see the collapse of the Afghan government and the rise of a fundamentalist Islamic state.

Sharing the same view, Mr. James Dobbins, head of the security and defense agency at the National Defense Research Institute (RAND), USA, emphasized that while former President Obama believed that the situation in Afghanistan was hopeless and chose to withdraw troops, his successor Trump tried to win in Afghanistan.

The US spent a total of nearly 1 trillion USD on the war in Afghanistan. Photo: AP

According to Mr. Dobbins, Mr. Trump has made his mark by concretizing “victory” as “defeating Al Qaeda” and preventing the Taliban from controlling Afghan territory, rather than building a successful democracy.

Reconciliation with the Taliban is at the heart of US policy in Afghanistan, Dobbins noted. And Russia and Iran also have interests in Afghanistan and will need to play a role in resolving the conflict there.

However, Russia has never been comfortable with the US presence in the region. One reason given by analysts is that Moscow views the Taliban as a less dangerous enemy than IS. Therefore, the US focus on driving out the Taliban is a problem for Russia, which has always considered IS a bigger concern.

Moreover, Russia hopes that the US will get bogged down in Afghanistan, while they come up with their own regional solution without US participation.

So does the US have the determination to continue its military presence in the war in Afghanistan, which could last for generations? Time will tell./.

Lan Ha

(According to National Interest)