According to a top U.S. official on condition of anonymity, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Gen. John Campbell and a number of high level security officials of the Obama administration are said to speak on Wednesday about U.S. troop's presence in Afghanistan beyond 2015.
The source added that the meeting is aimed to discuss ways of supporting the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and defeating the Taliban and other surge groups.
Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) expressed that they would welcome the decision of keeping U.S. forces in Afghanistan post-2015, as fear that militant groups within and around the boundaries of Afghanistan has intensified forcing the White House to rethink the complete drawdown of U.S. troops. If the decision of the U.S. is to keep more troops back, the Afghan forces would be backed by their foreign counterparts in countering terrorism.
"Threat still exists in Afghanistan," MoI spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said. "We have always supported the support of our international partners, particularly the United States of America."
If the White House agrees on the deployment of troop's post-2015, it is said that the U.S. will keep the Kandahar military base open where they will continue training ANSF.
On the other hand, military expert Atiqullah Amarkhail emphasizes the need of properly equipping the ANSF and not putting much stress on foreign presence in the country.
"The Afghan government needs to concentrate on equipping the ANSF instead of pushing for the presence of U.S. troops," Amarkhail said.
This comes at a time where previously U.S. President Barack Obama announced that from the total number of 9,800 troops in Afghanistan only half would remain in Afghanistan by the end of 2016 and that too for providing security to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had also showed willingness of U.S. troop presence in the country after 2015.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/3331
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