By Kyle LaFleur
An independent task force commissioned by the Council on Foreign Affairs released a report on Friday advocating a faster withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan next year as long as the Pentagon’s upcoming review of the war shows that America’s current strategy is working.
The task force, co-chaired by former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and former National Security Adviser Samuel Berger, suggests that the U.S. should continue assisting both Afghanistan and Pakistan from an economic and political standpoint. The report puts emphasis on retaining Pakistan as a key ally in the fight against terrorism, and beefing up Afghanistan’s armed forces so that it can take control of security from U.S. and NATO troops.
According to the task force’s report, the review, which will be released to the White House on December 1, should be “a clear-eyed assessment of whether there is sufficient overall progress to conclude that the strategy is working.” If not, the report argues that “a more significant drawdown to a narrower military mission would be warranted.”
The report also mentions that Afghanistan faces “pervasive corruption that breeds the insurgency; weak governance that creates a vacuum; Taliban resilience that feeds an atmosphere of intimidation; and an erratic leader whose agenda may not be the same as that of the United States.” As a result, the report advises the U.S. to be directly involved during negotiations to broker reconciliation between the government of President Hamid Karzai and regional tribes, including the Taliban.
“I think the real subtext here is [how] extraordinarily difficult the problem the President is wrestling with is, and how complex it is,” Armitage said on Friday.
While the task force’s report concludes that America should not yet abandon the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, it cautions that “the United States cannot afford to continue down this costly path unless the potential for enduring progress remains in sight.”